San Diego State unanimously voted Mountain West’s top basketball job

Led by Brian Dutcher, Aztecs lock up top spot with all 12 first-place votes

San Diego State Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When it comes to having the best men’s basketball job in the Mountain West, San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher is the unanimous winner. 

In a posting on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday evening, The Field of 68 said it anonymously polled coaches and asked them to rank every job in the league. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, SDSU, which has become a perennial NCAA Tournament team during the last quarter century under Steve Fisher and then Dutcher, received all 12 first-place votes and 144 points.

That was 22 points ahead of New Mexico, where Eric Olen is the first-year coach after leading UC San Diego to its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, and 24 points ahead of Grand Canyon, where Bryce Drew is in his sixth season with the Antelopes, who joined the MW a year earlier than planned. 

Coming in fourth was Utah State with 112 points, followed by Boise State with 96 and Colorado State with 82 to round out the top six. 

The final six were UNLV with 76 points, Nevada with 72 points, Wyoming with 42, Fresno State 40, San Jose State 26 and Air Force, which remains winless in league play, with 12.

🔥 MOUNTAIN WEST JOB RANKINGS 🔥

We anonymously polled coaches and asked them to rank every job in the league! 👀 pic.twitter.com/3PiF7GUEda

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 12, 2026

What this means

The poll set off some debate, but mostly regarding Nevada’s low placing. 

Not surprisingly, many posters were pleased that Dutcher was recognized as having the top job in the MW.

Of course, come July 1, it’ll all be officially moot. That’s when SDSU, Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State move into the reconfigured Pac-12. They’ll join fellow newcomers Texas State and Gonzaga, along with holdovers Washington State and Oregon State. 

The other schools will stay behind.

Why SDSU has the prime job

Dutcher is in his ninth season at SDSU, where the Aztecs play in Viejas Arena in the largest city in the MW and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. 

SDSU’s program was a perennial loser when Steve Fisher was hired prior to the 1999-2000 season. He brought Dutcher along as his top assistant, reforming the tandem that had led Michigan to the national title in 1989 and two more Final Four appearances, although those appearances were later voided due to a scandal involving booster Ed Martin. 

It didn’t take Fisher and Dutcher long to revive the Aztecs, and they received a boost when Kawhi Leonard led them to their first Sweet Sixteen in 2011. 

Fisher coached the Aztecs for 18 seasons before making way for Dutcher after the 2016-17 season. Dutcher had been given the title “head coach in waiting” in 2011, a testament to his loyalty as Fisher’s top assistant and his desire to take over the program once Fisher decided it was time to step aside. 

Dutcher led SDSU to its first Final Four in 2023, where it won a thriller against Florida Atlantic on a buzzer-beater by Lamont Butler in one national semifinal game before being routed by UConn in the championship game. It was also the first appearance by an MW team in the championship game. 

Dutcher got the Aztecs to the Sweet 16 the following season and they’re trying for their sixth straight March Madness bid in their final year in the MW.

Dutcher is 215-74 in nine seasons. 

SDSU is second in the MW, a half game behind USU. The Aztecs return to Saturday night at home against Nevada. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air on CBS Sports Network.