3 reasons San Diego State can contend for a Pac-12 title in 2026
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The San Diego State Aztecs will officially leave the Mountain West for the new-look Pac-12 on July 1, along with Fresno State, Colorado State, Utah State and Boise State. They’ll join fellow newcomer Texas State as well as holdovers Washington State and Oregon State.
It’s not the Pac-12 that fans wanted to join years ago, the one that included USC and UCLA up the freeway in Los Angeles, but it’s considered to be a step up nonetheless. The Aztecs primed themselves for the jump by finishing 9-4 last fall and reaching a bowl game for the first time in three seasons.
Here are three reasons to be optimistic about San Diego State’s chances of contending for the Pac-12 title and playing in consecutive bowl games for the first time since 2021-22.
1. Running game led by Lucky Sutton
San Diego State is back to being Running Back U thanks to Sutton, who had a career year in 2025 and announced he’ll return to his hometown school for his senior season.
Sutton sounds motivated after rushing for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns on 254 carries, all career highs and good enough to be named First Team All-Mountain West.
He hit a benchmark that’s important on Montezuma Mesa in becoming the 20th player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season — that plateau has been reached a total of 28 times — and taking over No. 16 on the single-season list.
Sutton played at local powerhouse Cathedral Catholic High and said it was always his dream to play for the Aztecs.
“Knowing the legacy that was set in the past and the legacy I can continue, I intend on taking the next steps in this climb. With that being said, I am an Aztec for life,” he said.
Sutton will be backed up by another local player, senior Christian Washington, who went from Helix High to New Mexico and Coastal Carolina before returning home to SDSU. He had 563 yards and four touchdowns on 98 carries last year. Sophomore Javion Kinnard transferred from Colorado State, where he saw limited time at running back but was good enough as a punt returner to be named Second Team All-MW.
2. Quarterback Jayden Denegal
Denegal played in all 12 regular-season games last year in his first season as a college starter, but was limited due to shoulder injuries. He chose to have surgery on his non-throwing left shoulder a few days before the New Mexico Bowl so that he’d be ready for spring practice.
He’s motivated to put up better numbers than last year, when he completed 143 of 243 passes (58.8%) for 1,807 yards and nine touchdowns, with eight interceptions. He said during spring drills that he wants to double last year’s passing yards and improve the touchdown-to-turnover margin. Of course, staying healthy will be the key for Denegal.
One of his main targets is expected to be Bert Emanuel Jr., who was Dengal’s backup last year but switched to wideout during spring. He showed what he can do when he has the ball in his hands when he started the New Mexico Bowl and rushed for 170 yards on just 11 carries, including two touchdowns, before getting hurt in the second quarter.
3. Defensive mindset
This might be a bit of a stretch because of all the talent the Aztecs lost on defense, but if the Aztecs play with the same ballhawking attitude they did last year, they could overcome all the attrition.
Losing so much production — including players who accounted for 31 of the Aztecs’ 32 sacks — means there are starting jobs and playing time up for grabs, which can be a huge motivating factor. The Aztecs worked the transfer portal hard for linemen, linebackers and defensive backs, so the coaches will certainly earn their paychecks as they work to meld a unit that had three shutouts last year in setting the overall tone for the bounceback season.
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Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.