San Diego State bounces back at the bottom of the polls after big win over Boise State

Aztecs get more votes but are far from cracking the Top 25

San Diego State Aztecs football team. | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Aztecs

San Diego State’s big 17-7 win against Boise State on Saturday night resonated with a few more poll voters, but not nearly enough to get them close to breaking into the Top 25.

A week after an embarrassing 38-6 loss at Hawaii sent the Aztecs tumbling almost out of the “others receiving votes” portion of The Associated Press Top 25 and Coaches Poll, they got some notice when the new polls were released on Sunday.

The new polls were released just hours after the Aztecs (8-2, 5-1 Mountain West) beat Boise State (6-4, 4-2) 17-7 at rainy Snapdragon Stadium to regain sole possession of first place in the MW.

In fact, the Aztecs have 19 points in the Coaches Poll, up from one point the previous week. That puts them at the equivalent of No. 33, and they are the only Mountain West team getting votes from the coaches. 

In The Associated Press poll, the Aztecs garnered 12 points, up from five points the week before, and are tied with Pittsburgh for No. 32. MW rival UNLV is one spot behind with nine points, tied with Arizona. UNLV returned to the “receiving votes” list a week ago and is one of five MW teams bunched at 4-2.

All Alone at the Top.#AztecFAST 🍢 x #BeTheA1pha 🐺 x #TheClimb 📈 pic.twitter.com/VaQU1yjLlV

— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) November 16, 2025

The Aztecs do not play UNLV this year.

Why this matters

The Aztecs rebounded from the loss at Hawaii and continued their comeback season under second-year coach Sean Lewis. A year after going 3-9, they’ve had a resurgence that’s carried them to the top of the Mountain West in their final season in the league, and an inside track to hosting the championship game on Dec. 5.

SDSU will jump to the new-look Pac-12 next season, along with BSU, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah State. A championship would be a nice capper to their time in the Mountain West. 

What’s next

The Aztecs host San Jose State (3-7, 2-4) for Senior Night on Saturday and then finish their final MW regular-season campaign at New Mexico (7-3, 4-2), which is enjoying a strong season under first-year coach Jason Eck. 

Fresno State (7-3, 4-2) has jumped into second place by virtue of its 30-7 win at Boise State two weeks ago. SDSU beat the Bulldogs 23-0 at Fresno on Oct. 25.

The top two teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the MW championship game on Dec. 5, with the winner clinching a berth in the Los Angeles Bowl on Dec. 13.

Then again, the Group of 5’s race for a spot in the College Football Playoff got interesting after Navy knocked off South Florida.

Poll history

The Aztecs were last ranked in the AP Top 25 in 2021, when they were in the AP Top 25 for a total of seven weeks. Their highest ranking was No. 19 and they were No. 25 in the final poll. They finished that season with a school-best 12-2 record.

Before 2021, the Aztecs were ranked for stretches during the 2016, 2017 and 2019 seasons.