San Diego State football receives votes in polls after beating San Jose State
In this story:
San Diego State’s 25-3 win against San Jose State in its regular-season home finale didn’t resonate much with the poll voters.
The Aztecs (9-2, 6-1) are getting slightly more notice in the Coaches Poll and The Associated Press Top 25 than they did after winning 17-7 at home a week earlier against Boise State.
The Aztecs are up to 29 points in the Coaches Poll, a jump of 10 points from the previous week. That puts them at the equivalent of No. 32.
In The Associated Press poll, the Aztecs garnered 19 points, up from 12 the week before, and are to the equivalent of No. 30.
The only other MW team receiving votes is UNLV, which has seven points in the AP poll (33rd) and two in the Coaches Poll (37).
The Aztecs do not play UNLV this year.
Why this matters
The Aztecs would love to win the championship in their final season in the Mountain West and have the inside track to hosting the conference championship game on Dec. 5.
That would mean another game at Snapdragon Stadium, where the Aztecs went 6-0 in the regular season in a resurgent second season under coach Sean Lewis.
SDSU will jump to the new-look Pac-12 next season, along with BSU, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah State. A MW title would be a big boost as they begin a new chapter. Those five MW teams will join holdovers Oregon State and Washington State, and fellow newcovers Texas State in football and basketball and Gonzaga in hoops only.
What’s next
The Aztecs close the regular season Friday afternoon at New Mexico (8-3, 5-2), which is enjoying a strong season under first-year coach Jason Eck.
New Mexico, Boise State and UNLV are all 5-2 in the conference. SDSU beat Boise State two weeks ago.
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.
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.
MORE SAN DIEGO STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS
-bd678ba4dbad4f453246f539ee56a3b4.jpg "Bernie Wilson")
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.