ESPN College Football

When most people hear about a college football matchup between Texas A&M and Utah, many would think the Aggies are the top-25 team and the Utes are looking to pull the upset.

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But that won't be the case Thursday night when A&M takes on Utah, which has turned around in a hurry under second-year coach Urban Meyer. The Utes finished 10-2 last season, won the Mountain West championship and beat Southern Miss in the Liberty Bowl, while the Aggies suffered through a 4-8 year under new head coach Dennis Franchione.

There is a buzz around the football program in Salt Lake City like never before, almost as if Rick Majerus and the basketball team were getting ready for a run at the Final Four. The state has always been partial to BYU but there is a new sheriff in town now.

The Aggies, on the other hand, come into town after one of the toughest years Aggie fans have seen in recent memory. Franchione is a master at rebuilding programs, though, and this year's team is hungry to avenge last year's embarrassments. Texas A&M is younger, stronger and faster after retooling both physically and emotionally.

Utah is walking around with its chest out, feeling very good about itself and ready to prove last year was not a fluke. On the other side the Aggies are dying for any kind of confidence. They have a clean slate and need even the smallest things to go right.

The early going should tell a lot about whether Texas A&M can stay in this game. If the Aggies start believing in themselves as soon as the ball is kicked off they will be dangerous. They have more than enough athletic ability to succeed, and a big jolt of confidence early against Utah could affect not only this game but the rest of the season.

When Texas A&M has the ball ...
The Aggies had their moments on offense last season but were inconsistent overall. They had individual stars in quarterback Reggie McNeal, running back Courtney Lewis and receiver Terrence Murphy, but because of a banged-up offensive line they weren't able to build any consistency from week to week.

The offseason produced a stronger line and unbelievable depth at receiver, where Murphy leads a group that goes seven or eight deep. McNeal has also developed, not only physically but emotionally as well. He has matured entering his third year as the starter and shown his team he is committed to becoming a better player and leader.

McNeal is a great athlete trying to make a Michael Vick-type transformation into a quarterback who relies more on his arm than his athletic ability to make plays. If he can use his eyes, study defenses and resist the urge to break the pocket early McNeal will be tough to deal with.

Texas A&M will learn just how far he has come in that area early on against a Utah defense that gave up 19.1 points per game last season and shut out its final two opponents. Utah might be even better this year, especially in the front seven where athletic defensive ends Jonathan Fanene and Marques Ledbetter lead the way with pressure from the outside.

The overall defensive style at Utah is built around pressure. The Utes will blitz, crowd the line of scrimmage and play a lot of man coverage in the secondary, which is a concern because of some youth at the cornerback position. Safeties Morgan Scalley and Eric Weddle are solid but redshirt freshman Ryan Smith goes just 160 pounds and will be making his first career start at corner in a game that will likely see him in man-to-man matchups against guys like Terrence Murphy.

If Utah can get in McNeal's face it can win the battle and the game, but if not the Utes leave themselves isolated on the outside and vulnerable to potential big plays. McNeal will buy some time with his feet and could be a part of that big-play potential, but he needs to be more consistent and not always look for the big play 50 yards down the field.

Coach Fran has a system that succeeded everywhere else he's been. Now it's just a matter of seeing whether the progress his retooled team has shown in August scrimmages will look the same against a different colored jersey.

When Utah has the ball...

Utah did not set any offensive records last year but did very well considering the Utes spent most of the year breaking in sophomore Alex Smith at quarterback. They also had only one real option at tailback and wide receiver and were in the process of building a strong offensive line.

Smith and his teammates exceeded expectations by a long shot -- Smith passed for over 2,000 yards with 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions -- and they have plenty of experience back to live up to this year's preseason accolades.

The offense all starts with Smith, an incredibly intelligent QB who studies film like an offensive coordinator and finished his undergraduate degree in just two years. He also has a strong arm and has put on some weight to get himself to 6-foot-4, 215 pounds.

His situation is much like that of USC quarterback Matt Leinart, who also thrived last year while trying to prove himself and now faces high expectations as the leader of his team. But Smith is very confident in his ability to succeed.

He is also a better athlete than you might expect, which helps in Urban Meyer's spread offense. Utah mixes in a lot of triple option philosophies, putting a lot on Smith in terms of making decisions, reading the option and using shovel passes and handoffs to get the ball out.

Increased depth at running back and wide receiver has taken some of the pressure off Smith, though. Brandon Warfield is back after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards last year and will be backed up by Quinton Ganther and Marty Johnson. Last year's leading receiver is back in Paris Warren and he will get help from the trio of John Madsen, Travis Latendresse and Steve Savoy.

Multiple formations and motion packages make Utah difficult to prepare for, and the triple option slows the defense down just enough so it can't pin its ears back and blitz on every down. An athletic, veteran line rounds out the best offense you've never heard of, one that will get a chance to showcase itself to the nation on Thursday night.

That's not to say Utah will just throw its jerseys on and dominate. Texas A&M struggled mightily last year on defense -- school-record 464 points allowed, 431.5 total yards per game -- but defensive coordinator Carl Torbush has proven during his career that his defensive philosophy works, and it will work at A&M.

Torbush believes mixing in a lot of pressure with solid zone principles but last year he did not have great personnel to work with. This year's unit is completely different, starting up front with the likes of redshirt freshmen Jason Jack (6-4, 270) and Joseph Bryant (6-4, 320) alongside junior Johnny Jolly (6-3, 300) and senior Mike Montgomery (6-6, 280). They look like a defensive line this year.

The linebackers are also solid, led by JUCO transfer Nurahda Manning and Justin Warren, who played last year as a true freshman and has the talent to perhaps be a first-round draft choice. The secondary is full of juniors and seniors and has much more athleticism, speed and depth than last season.

All those changes have translated into a quite confidence in the lockerroom that things will turn around this season. Texas A&M will find out very quickly against Utah whether the changes made a difference because the Utes will come at them in waves from the opening kickoff.

The big matchup will be those defensive linemen against Utah's strong offensive front. Warfield was able to gash the Aggies for 181 yards last season and A&M cannot afford to give up big gains this time around. The Aggies need to get Utah into 2nd-and-8 or 3rd-and-7 situations as opposed to 2nd-and-4 or 3rd-and-3 to make the Utes a little more predictable.

If Texas A&M can do that and make some big plays early the Aggies have a real shot in this game.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN's College GameDay and a regular contributor to ESPN.com during the college football season.