LOGAN, Utah – Most things are restarted or reset only when they’re not working properly.

That is not where Air Force football is at right now after a 2-0 start behind the nation’s No. 1 rushing offense and No. 3 run defense.

And it doesn’t quite fit to say the team is moving from a warmup phase and the “real” season starts Saturday at Utah State.

Abilene Christian trailed by just two touchdowns heading into the fourth quarter in the opener. In the second game, Georgia State was just the second visitor to hold a lead in Falcon Stadium over the past two years (albeit for only as long as it took Tim McVey to return the ensuing kickoff for a score). The Panthers then showed their potential the next week as they thoroughly challenged then-No. 9 Wisconsin on the road.

So this isn’t the “real” start to the season and it’s not a restart. Whatever you want to call it, there’s definitely a sense that a transition in Air Force’s season is at hand as the Mountain West season opens on Saturday after a bye week. And it starts with what figures to be one of the biggest tests the Falcons will encounter in the league.

“It kind of does feel like a whole new kind of season,” Air Force safety Brodie Hicks said. “Everyone is 0-0 now.”

Internally and externally, expectations have been high for Air Force this season. Players have talked about running the table, and the Mountain West preseason poll had the Falcons second in the Mountain Division behind Boise State. But as we enter autumn and many teams prep for their fourth game, it remains impossible to tell if the product on the field matches those expectations.

Though Abilene Christian and Georgia State had their brief moments against the Falcons, the games largely went as expected with Air Force rolling up huge statistical advantages in the wins.

The Falcons have run like crazy (432.5 yards per game), but they have completed just nine passes because there was no need to go to the air.

They have yet to force a turnover, but on the other hand the defense ranks 11th in the nation and was on the field against Georgia State for the shortest amount of time in college football history.

Air Force players understand some of those concerns are likely to be addressed Saturday, as it faces a Utah State team that has been dominant at home – winning 11 conference games in a row.

“We’re definitely ramping it up,” receiver Tyler Williams said. “This is what we’re playing for. We want to win a Mountain West championship. We came close last year, but we fell short of that goal. So this is the first step to getting back to that game and ultimately winning.”

Much of what Air Force is experiencing is true for Utah State (2-1) as well, as it expects to be back in the mix in the Mountain Division – it was picked third, slightly behind the Falcons – but remains something of a mystery as it hasn’t played in a game that was separated by fewer than 15 points at halftime.

“There’s a different feel around the office,” coach Matt Wells said. “You can tell it is Mountain West time.”

The winner of the Air Force/Utah State matchup has represented the Mountain Division in the Mountain West championship game in two of its three years of existence, so this could be a pivotal game.

Utah State has the strong home-field advantage. Air Force had the luxury of resting a week and adding cornerback Roland Ladipo back into the lineup.

“Everybody’s back. If you were nicked up, you feel good now,” said outside linebacker Haji Dunn, who had two sacks and four tackles behind the line of scrimmage in Air Force’s 35-28 victory over Utah State last year – its first in three meetings since the Aggies joined the Mountain West. “We’re going to conference and we can really present ourselves as a cohesive unit and hopefully a powerful force.”

How powerful? No one knows, but it could become clear quickly as a new phase of the season begins Saturday night.