| 1997 Utah State Aggies football | |
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Big West co-champion | |
Humanitarian Bowl, L 19–35 vs. Cincinnati | |
| Conference | Big West Conference |
| Record | 6–6 (4–1 Big West) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Bobby Petrino (3rd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Chris Smeland (3rd season) |
| Home stadium | Romney Stadium (Capacity: 30,257) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah State + | 4 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nevada + | 4 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boise State | 3 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 2 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Texas | 2 | – | 3 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 0 | – | 5 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1997 Utah State Aggies football team represented Utah State University in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by third-year head coach John L. Smith and played their home games at Romney Stadium in Logan, Utah.
Utah State was co-champion of the Big West Conference, completed the regular season with a 6–5 record (4–1 in conference), and received an invitation to the inaugural Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho. The Aggies were defeated by Cincinnati, 35–19,[1] in their last bowl appearance until 2011. Smith left for Louisville after the season, and was succeeded by Dave Arslanian in 1998.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | at Utah* | W 21–14 | 33,804 | |
| September 6 | Idaho State* | W 41–7 | 20,497 | |
| September 13 | No. 25 Colorado State* |
| L 24–35 | 22,097 |
| September 20 | New Mexico* |
| L 22–25 | 15,112 |
| October 3 | at No. 24 BYU* |
| L 35–42 | 65,754 |
| October 11 | Oregon State* | L 16–24 | 23,210 | |
| October 18 | New Mexico State |
| W 38–7 | 17,251 |
| October 25 | at Idaho | W 63–17 | 11,163 | |
| November 1 | Boise State |
| W 24–20 | 18,205 |
| November 15 | at Nevada | W 38–19 | 22,780 | |
| November 22 | at North Texas | L 48–51 | 6,750 | |
| December 29 | vs. Cincinnati* | L 19–35 | 16,289 | |
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