following the great heights of the 1960s and 70's, aggie football has fallen upon hard times in recent decades, leading to a disproportionate lack of usu sports coverage in statewide and national media. many of the aggie faithful attribute the decline to administrators at both utah and byu freezing then-superior usu out of the newly formed wac. however, other factors cited as leading to the decline include a failure to upgrade facilities until recently, a lack of donors to athletics, and the complacency of past athletics directors. the futility of the football program has had an extremely negative effect on the perception of the university as a whole, and it is something that the aggies are only now recovering from. 2011 saw the first winning season in many years, a bowl game, and in may 2012, an invitation to the mountain west conference, which will give usu its first stable, promising conference home in a half-century.