San Diego State receives votes in latest football polls

Aztecs get votes in The Associated Press Top 25 and Coaches Poll

San Diego State Aztecs quarterback Jayden Denegal (4). | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

There it is — the resurgent San Diego State Aztecs are getting votes in both college football polls. 

Everything starts with small steps, and the Aztecs are the final team receiving votes in The Associated Press poll, where they have two points, technically tying them for 32nd in the nation with Tulane, which also has two points. The Aztecs were listed No. 24 by Keith Farmer of WLEX-TV in Lexington, Kentucky.

Over in the Coaches Poll, the Aztecs joined TCU and Pittsburgh with one point apiece at the bottom of the rankings. 

Why this matters

The Aztecs continued their resurgence in Sean Lewis’ second season as head coach with a second straight Mountain West rout, this time a 44-10 victory at Nevada on Saturday. The Aztecs scored a touchdown in all three phases — special teams, defense and offense — in taking a 21-0 lead just one play into the second quarter. 

BOOM goes Bostick! Six more for the Aztecs!

📺: @CBSSportsNet #AztecFAST 🍢 x #BeTheA1pha 🐺 x #TheClimb 📈 pic.twitter.com/RYSZYNaNPA

— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) October 12, 2025

At 5-1, the Aztecs have won two more games than they did all of last season and are just one win shy of being bowl eligible for the first time since 2022. At 2-0 in the Mountain West, they’re tied with undefeated UNLV and Boise State.

Speaking of UNLV, the Runnin’ Rebels are the only other Mountain West team receiving votes in the polls. They have 30 points in the AP poll and 43 points in the Coaches Poll. 

Boise State was No. 25 in the AP’s preseason poll but lost 34-7 at South Florida and immediately fell out of the rankings.

What’s next

The Aztecs have their second bye week, giving them two weeks to prepare for a road game against longtime rival Fresno State on Oct. 25. The Bulldogs were routed 49-21 on Friday night by Colorado State, which a week earlier lost 45-24 to the Aztecs. 

Oct 10, 2025; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado State Rams running back Lloyd Avant (25) reacts after a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Fresno State Bulldogs. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

After Fresno State, the Aztecs host Wyoming, are at Hawaii, host Boise State and San Jose State, and finish on the road at New Mexico. 

SDSU misses UNLV this season.

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.