with decisions like this, maybe the aggies would be better off dropping athletics. Even Utah would have 3 losses playing that schedule. Give the guy a fair chance and schedule down a little bit. Best of luck to Brent and his coaching staff. Sometime the people wearing the ties aren't the smart knife in the drawer..

For a school and team who has so much hate for no reason for another in-state school, I was happy to see USU lose so much. Wish you would have kept your coach, now this nice losing tradition may not last. Enjoy watching your rivals in bowls while you sit at home.

Disband the USU football team.

Why is it we teach children winning isn't everything, and then prove to them forever that winning IS everything???

These type of Asst. Coachs should only be signed to 3 year max contracts and maybe just 2 to start with. John L. should commit that he's not trying to get back to a big school or no contract. We need someone who is qualified and wants to stay in the area and build a program like it used to be.

I like to see in state schools do well. I am suprised at the level of hate especially from the fans of BYU. I thought your religion taught about tolerance? Sorry, as a non-mormon, I am shocked at the level of hate from BYU fans. You wonder why BYU is hated around the nation? Utah it is expected, but BYU it is sad. I wish Utah St. well.

Utah State needs to drop down to Div II, they could enjoy winning again. USU is just never going to be able to compete in the state of Utah for the best athletes, or anywhere else. DIV II would restore some dignity to this program--and their fans.

Whoever comes in will benefit from all the work Guy did. We will see .500 next year, especially in WAC play. Go Utah State!

perhaps lies with the fact that USU has troubles recruiting quality student/athletes to their program. With Utah and BYU getting more than their fair share of instate high school prospects, then whatever they can get from states like California, USU is left with the dreggs of the recruiting barrel.

As far as attendance is concerned, two things come to light. First and foremost is a losing team no one wants to see. Secondly, as long as Utah and BYU retain the lions share of fan loyalty in this state, schools like USU/WSU will be hard pressed to get folks interested in their programs. It's a crying shame.

Ron McBride has turned his program into a winning program. USU does not "try" to recruit alot of instate players they automatically assume they are gone that is part of their problem and part of their demise. In state kids would help turn their program around as their families will come to see games it all makes sense there are tons of kids in state that would got to USU. How about Favero/Logan awesome coach already there in Logan he is amazing and always brings a disciplined team can't do any worse that is for sure no where to go but up.

congrats to usu on firing ur coach every 4 yrs! it seems to be working out just great.

quit wasting all our time and either drop down to FCS or drop the program all together.

who will be the next fireee?

john L smith? 16-18 in 3 yrs at usu

I went to USU 30 years ago and I loved it. It is a great university - tops in many areas. But their football team has almost always stunk. Why try to change something that can't be changed? For some reason they can't get enough of the good players to come to make a good team. Probably too much of a bad reputation.

To the dopes who think USU should drop to division II please do a little research as your basic college football IQ is not sufficient. If USU was to drop down it would be to the FCS Division of college football (formerly Division 1-AA). This is the division that Weber and SUU currently play in. As an Aggie fan I would not mind seeing this at all because they would actually be competetive and they would play in a division with an actual championship. Dropping the program to Division II would also drop the highly successfuly basketball program to a lower division which makes absolutely no sense.

Here we go again, starting another 4-year cycle of hiring a decent coach, pretending he has all the answers to difficult questions, and then firing him when he inevitably fails.

Note to the USU Administration: It's not 1960 anymore. The Aggies are not a premier program in the nation, they're not a premier program in their conference, they're not a premier program in their own state.

We're not going to be able to attract and hire top coaches from other programs. Robert Anae come to Logan? The man who would be a top candidate for BYU, Texas Tech, and other big-name jobs if they were open? What are you guys smoking?

Brent Guy was a good coach, given his limitations. He did the best he could with what he had. If the USU AD wants to win then perhaps he would do better to schedule more realistic opponents instead of signing the team up to be well-paid tackling dummies for nationally-ranked PAC-10 and Big 12 programs.

so next year pay 2 coaches ?

guy still has one more yr of pay, can usu really afford this?

maybe usu is even still paying hte last coach they fired before this coach...

im sure the next coach will have lots of wins in a conf no aggie coach has ever coached in and maybe he can play against 4 top 20 teams too.

the only way usu has a chance is to go I-AA...and even then...

no one can get GOOD recruits to usu.

It was time to take action. Guy will land on his feet in Texas, probably his old H.S. USU football will rise to the occasion with better home attendance and more victories with Guy's departure. It is sad but true that Guy will go down in history as USU's HC with the worst record ever. Now, it is time to put the past behind us and move forward.

When USU hired Brent Guy, they promised him a new facility, which was just completed this year. This new facility should help with recruiting. USU has seen major improvement over the season this year. My guess is USU would have beat NMST and be 3-9. Not a great record, but I think next year would have been better under Guy. I believe USU can successfully recruit better that Wyoming, New Mexico, SDSU, Idaho and others. If you fired Guy to get John L. Smith and Smith doesn’t want the job USU is probably in trouble. Outside of being a head coach, why would Gary Anderson or Robert Anae want to take this job? They are both better off waiting to find a program that would give them time to be successful. I would like to know how USU’s football budget compares to the rest of the WAC. Are they spending the money required to get better recruits? This is a shame to fire Guy; he should have been given another year or two to turn around a program that has suffered for years. Good luck Brent.

USU is in a tough position. They are the 3rd, sometimes 4th option for in-state athletes. If they try to recruit out of state, the only players they can get are the ones no one else wants, i.e. very talented but with volatile personalities.

They need to stop hiring "up and coming" type of coaches who will move on when a bigger school comes calling. Ron McBride would be a perfect coach for the Aggies, someone who has a proven track record and who would be content to remain in Logan.

BRING ON MAFU !!!!!!!

Brent Guy has built a foundation he just couldn't win. The Aggies have been in some close games but they never seem to be able to pull out the close ones. The situation for the new coach is so much different than when Mick Dennehy left. There are good players, good facilities, and a renewed commitment to winning. All of you pessimists can go home. The foundation for winning at USU has improved. The next coach will be walking into a good situation with a great opportunity to be competitive in the WAC.

ABQ, if USU would drop down to the Big Sky the basketball team would still be a D1. Big Sky has been D1 in bballl for as long as I can remember. Which is a long time.

It`s about time. Guy has been given all the chance in the world to prove what he can do best and that is lose.

"Give the guy a fair chance and schedule down a little bit". How many years do you want to give a coach who can only win 8 games in 3 seasons? Your solution would be: Lower your standards by lowering the level of competition? How about dropping the program altogether? Face it, the coaching staff at USU cannot get the players to a winning season. Three years @ 2.6 wins per season doesn't sound like a very successful coaching staff. OK, let's give him one more year (on his contract). At the rate Brent Guy is going, that will give him 10.6 wins for 4 years. I'm sure next year's players are looking forward to winning those two games for all the effort they will put into practicing. Yeah, let's give Brent Guy a chance...a chance to make USU's football program a bigger joke.

Any cheap houses for sale that belonged to someone once connected with the USU program? In the current economy, one might be very lucky to get out of town with the shirt on their back. Maybe the new coaching staff can pick up a real good buy on a house. Congrats to USU for coming to grips with an ugly situation; pictures speak for themself.

Just hire Timpview's staff. You'd win immediately.

Re: Shame.
Utah and BYU despise each other more than USU fans hate either one of them. It's unbelieveable how much annimosity a Cougar fan has for Utah and visa versa.

USU football is not a losing cause. A good coaching staff can go a long way. Take a good look at BYU and Utah's history and good coaching has alway resulted in a more successful program. The funny thing about time is that nothing stays the same. If this were true BYU would be the laughing stock of the sport world. They were initially bad at everything. But now the program is among the elite. There is still hope for Aggies that their program can be turned around.

Dropping down a division is really ridiculous. Too much emphasis is placed on football alone. I've heard that USU leads the WAC in the graduation rate and is also in the top tier in GPA. They also have won WAC titles in track and basketball just to name two.

To So Much Hate: I won't ever defend any bad behavior by any BYU fan, but I have seen very little, if any, "hatred" out of BYU fans.

When I attended the BYU/USU game this year I was truly shocked at the level of hatred directed at BYU. They had a huge sign held by a number of USU "gentlemen" which was a cruel, disparaging rant against BYU women. Many fans were wearing nasty anti-BYU T-shirts. I've never seen ANYTHING like this EVER at a BYU game and I've been to a lot games.

This kind of behavior at USU was totally unworthy of a great school and a great community like Logan. I was always a big supporter of USU until I saw this. I feel so bad that things have degenerated to the point that people act like that.

I actually attended both Utah and BYU. Good people at both schools. I don't condone any bad behavior by anyone, but after attending a lot of games, I must say, I've NEVER seen ANY BYU fan behave in ways that I've seen many Utah and USU fans behave. I'm sorry, but it's just the TRUTH.

Quit living in your Utah Valley Bubble. I was at the game as well sitting next to some really crude BYU fans. They exist....you just don't want to admit that some BYU fans make others look bad. Once again....leave Lavell Edwards Stadium and the worse will come out in BYU fans. Trust me you will see some of it this weekend at Utah because I have already personally witnessed it at USU this year!

Whoever made the comment about Utah State winning half their games next year is nuts. Your schedule is at Utah 0-1, at BYU 0-2, Boise State 0-3, at Hawaii 0-4, Wyoming 0-5, at Fresno State 0-6, Usually one more out of conference with a tough team for a payday 0-7, Idaho 1-7, San Jose State 2-7?, Nevada 2-8, Louisiana Tech 3-8, New Mexico State 4-8.

Where are the wins coming from? A new coach, new schemes aren't going to instantly gain you wins. Your line is undersized, your linebackers are small, you don't have a good QB, your DB's and safeties don't like to hit. You do have some good receivers and a few tenacious defensive backs. Your team speed isn't that great. How do you fix it in a year? You don't fix it in one year.

Actually, your team would be competetive in a lower division right now. I hope it doesn't happen but it is a thought.

My dad played for the Aggies when they were a proud program and won most of their games. He doesn't care anymore because the admin doesn't care either.

To Re: Cats...I began my blog by saying that I do NOT condone any bad behavior out of any BYU fan. I didn't say they are all perfect. I don't even like it when they boo at games.

What I said is true. I have attended a lot of games. I also attended University of Utah. In fact, I dated some guys on the football team when I was there. I have seen a lot of behavior out of a lot of fans. I don't live in a Utah Valley Bubble. Maybe I hit a little too close to home for you.

I will reiterate, I have NEVER seen some of the filthy, obscene, disgusting, hateful behavior from any BYU fan that I have seen from MANY Utah and USU fans. That is just the TRUTH and I'm sorry if the TRUTH offends you.

If you want to win at Utah State you need to do something unique like the triple option. Joe DuPaix who is at Navy is from Salt Like City and you know he would recruit local, knows the area and would be a great HC!

Everything...EVERYTHING...turns into a BYU/Utah rant, no matter what the article is about. I don't care for either school anymore; they aren't that big a deal. I'd take USU any day.

Hey, don't forget about the game at Texas A&M next year.... so that makes about 6-7 games you could chalk up as certain losses. I agree that whoever comes in next year is going to have a heck of a hard time going .500.

I join with those suggesting a drop to the FCS football level. That creates a WSU - USU rivalry to match Utah - BYU. As has been noted before, the University of Montana in the Big Sky Conference has a waiting list for season ticket sales and fills their stadium with standing room seating in the 23,000 to 24,000 range. People travel from all over the state to attend their games, along with significant crowds (probably bigger than USU now gets) going to Montana State games too. The University of Idaho needs to look at the same option and go back to the smaller pond in which they ceded being the big fish to Montana. Does USU want to be a potential winner in a smaller conference and have a chance to play for a national championship...as Montana and Montana State have each won several times...or does it hang on by the finger tips in the WAC? Seems like a simple thing to me. Otherwise, the same problem will surface in four years. The money drain would either reverse with less expense in the FCS or turn around by being competitive.

The struggles at USU are just a symptom of the larger BCS issue. USU was competitive until the money went into 6 monopoly's pockets robbing the little guy. Until the money starts flowing more evenly the wins never will. Money means better coaches and facilities which leads to better athletes being recruited. Thus the dilema

I agree, hire the entire coaching staff from Timpview, they already have this recruiting thing down pat.

In all fairness, USU gave this coaching staff every opportunity. They got 4 years and didn't do much. I think their efforts in recruiting were a huge problem. USU could have built a better program by recruiting in state, and adding them to their recruits from out of state. They were scrapping the bottom of the barrel for recruits. Their are better in state players not recruited. For example. Jared Tew who scored the 1st touchdown for Air Force this week against BYU is a Park City High School grad. Trevyn Smith from Springville is tearing it up at Weber. Utah State just didn't go after the in state kids & I think it is a mistake. I am not saying you can field an entire football team with in state kids, but they should have filled alot more spots. They can build alot more pride in the team and will end up winning alot more games. Sure BYU and Utah will still get the best from the state, but USU could do alot better.

USU, please make an offer to Ludwig.

Utah needs to have a new offensive coordinator.

SoCalUtahFan

So let's move on...Personally I would like to see a new coach who is an offensive coach. Guy was defensive, Baer is defensive, I don't want a re-tread like JL. However, I like what McBride has done at Weber. Let's just hope that they make a good choice, and not one that if successful, will move on.

I always liked Brent Guy and think he did the best he could with the talent level. It's hard getting guys to go to Logan unless they have nowhere else to go. Good luck to him in whatever he does next.

With the 85 scholarship limitation now in force there are more good high school football players available for the mid-major schools to recruit. Apparently, the Aggies did not do a good enough job of recruiting. If they did, in fact, recruit good players then the issue comes down to coaching. Three years should have been enough time to improve the USU football program. Coach Guy and his staff failed to do so. It is time to bring in a new staff that can recruit and coach.

I would applaud Guy for making school a priority. Isn't that why you attend a University. I understand that the all mighty dollar rules and that football can bring in big bucks, but it should be mainly about school. Congrats Guy and good luck elsewhere.

I personally thought the t-shirts were fun "Utah County, Enough Said". That is why there is so much hatred toward BYU is because you cannot admit to your own faults. You think that you are above everyone else. For ANYONE to say that there is NOTHING inappropriat going on in their facility or with their fans is a pretty ingorant comment. It happens, right or wrong, EVERYWHERE. Get a grip on reality.

Not everyone is gifted to go beyond a certain IQ. College football gives many a young man an oppportunity to succeed where they would be left out otherwise. USU football is not about the school work as "applause" suggest above. It is about winning, PEROID!!!! Guy DID NOT DELIVER. Honestly, I do not care what a players grades were in college if they dig themselve out of poverty and make it to big time NFL. It is time to face the truth about life. That is just the way it really IS...

Take a note from Weber. Recruit hard in Cache Valley and in South East Idaho (Pocatello/Idaho Falls/Star Wyoming).

This will put butts in the seats and give you players who take a little more pride in who they are playing for, instead of players from California who after 4 years resent coming to Utah.

A few facts about USU:

The Aggies have more funded research by far than any other University in the State.

The Spectrum has the greatest basketball fans in the Universe. . . Period.

And perhaps the greatest thing about USU is that it is a long ways away from Utah County.

Football at USU will get better. Until then the Aggies still have pleanty to cheer about.

Hire an in-state guy, and/or someone who played at USU. Logan is a tight community who would rally around someone they know.

Also, recruit local kids. Not just in-state, but Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana.

Take off your blinders. I will give you specific examples from games I attended. BYU vs. Stetson in Basketball. Questionable, but valid call at the end of the game. Coach flips out swearing up a storm at the ref. Tech called on the coach. Crowd flips out with some fans going so far as to throw drinks etc. on the court and at the refs. Tech called on the crowd. BYU loses the game on tech free throws. Refs escorted out by security right as the horn sounded. (at full sprint) Or how about the time at the BYU-Utah football game when the cougar fan jumped out of the stands and attacked the Utah cheerleader? Name any time a Utah or USU fan has done that. Should we bring up last year? How about the fight between BYU fans and Vegas fans after the tournament. All schools have fans that behave poorly. Get off your high horse.

Utah State should follow the model used by Georgetown University, playing division 1-A basketball, but dropping down a level to play football.

Georgetown plays in one of the best basketball conferences, the Big East, but, in football, they play in the FBS Patriot League against Holy Cross, Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh, Fordham, and Bucknell.

Joining the Big Sky as a football-playing member only, would give Utah State natural rivals in Weber State and Idaho State AND a chance to be competitive again.

None of the other sports would have to change divisions.

It's time for the Aggies to decide whether they want to be perennial whipping boys or perennial contenders.

hire mike canales....he is good for the job, he played at utah state coached in the pac-10, acc, big east, and the NFL....he has been around and knows what to do with the ball...has a great offense and can bring good coaches with him!! He played for utah state in the 80's so he has been around the program!! and he has family in Utah why wouldn't he want to come here and turn around his old team and be with his family? give the man a chance