San Diego State football loses momentum in polls after humbling loss at Hawaii

Aztecs barely hanging on in ‘receiving votes’ portion of Top 25 polls

Nov 8, 2025; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; San Diego State Aztecs quarterback Jayden Denegal (4) hands the ball to running back Lucky Sutton (7) as they take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the first quarter at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

San Diego State’s crushing 38-6 loss at Hawaii on Saturday reversed the momentum the Aztecs had been building in the two major polls.

In fact, the Aztecs are barely hanging on in The Associated Press and Coaches Poll.

A week after picking up 30 points in The Associated Press poll, the Aztecs had just five points, tying them with Illinois. MW rival UNLV has two points and Memphis one. UNLV returned to the “receiving votes” list after beating Colorado State 42-10.

The Aztecs almost tumbled out of the Coaches Poll, dropping from 30 points last week to just one point, tied with East Carolina as the last teams receiving votes. 

Why this matters

The Aztecs were outplayed in all three phases by Hawaii, ending their six-game winning streak and costing them sole possession of first place in the MW. 

SDSU (7-2, 4-1) is now tied at the top of the conference standings with Boise State (6-3, 4-1). Hawaii is lurking at 4-2, while four teams are bunched at 3-2. They include Fresno State, which lost 23-0 to San Diego State on Oct. 25, and New Mexico, which will host the Aztecs in the regular-season finale on Nov. 28. 

What’s next

The Aztecs host Boise State (6-3, 4-1) Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium. Instead of having the chance to put some distance between them and the rest of the contenders, the Aztecs will now be battling the rested Broncos for control of the league race. 

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

Nov 8, 2025; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; San Diego State Aztecs place kicker Gabriel Plascencia (11) kicks a field goal over the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the first quarter at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

After playing BSU, the Aztecs will play their home finale against San Jose State and then end the regular season at New Mexico, which is bowl eligible under first-year coach Jason Eck. 

San Jose State beat Hawaii 45-38 in a shootout last weekend, but then lost 26-16 to Air Force. 

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.