What playing at the Rose Bowl means to San Diego State

For years, the San Diego State Aztecs envisioned walking into the Rose Bowl to play the UCLA Bruins in a Pac-12 Conference showdown.

Well, the Aztecs are finally in the Pac-12 and heading to play UCLA in the Rose Bowl, but the Bruins are now in their third season in the Big Ten.

Such is the reality of the wild conference realignment of a few summers ago, when the legacy Pac-12 fell apart and 10 teams left for three different conferences.

SDSU finally got into the Pac-12 on July 1. Although the Aztecs never got the chance to face the Bruins as conference rivals, Saturday’s game at the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena is still the marquee game on SDSU’s schedule.

The Bruins are 1-0 after beating California 45-24 on Saturday night in the first game under new coach Bob Chesney, who moved across the country after leading James Madison into the College Football Playoff last season.

SDSU is also 1-0 after overcoming a slow start to blitz Portland State 53-20 on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.

SDSU’s history at the Rose Bowl

This is one of the most brutally lopsided series in SDSU history, with the Bruins holding a 22-1-1 edge dating to 1922.

The tie was in 1924 at San Diego’s Balboa Stadium, and then the Bruins rattled off 19 straight wins over the ensuing decades.

The Aztecs finally broke through at the Rose Bowl, of all places, with a 23-14 win on Sept. 7, 2019. The Bruins regained their winning ways in the series by beating SDSU 35-10 at Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023.

The Aztecs are looking for just their second win in 10 games against the Bruins at the Rose Bowl.

What coach Sean Lewis says about the Rose Bowl

One of the things Lewis wanted the Aztecs to clean up after their win against PSU was dealing with distractions, and a trip to the stadium where they play the “Grandaddy of Them All” certainly qualifies as a place where the Aztecs need to keep their wits about themselves.”

“I felt like our focus waned as we went through the game and it showed with how we finished in a lot of different areas, right?” Lewis said. “And so there's going to be a tremendous amount of distractions as we go up to the big city and all the things and hey like we ain't going up there to see some Hollywood set and see where “Gossip Girl” was recorded or you know all these great movies and all these things.

“We’re going up there for a purpose as we go with it. And so we need to be focused on the task at hand and respect the prep and honor the warriors that have come before us, you know, do that through our preparation and the opportunities that come. So those are some areas that I'm really kind of honed in on that we need to be better at.”

What Gavriel Lightfoot said about playing at the Rose Bowl

SDSU defensive tackle Gavriel Lightfoot was with Fresno State when it lost 20-13 to UCLA at the Rose Bowl in the last game of the 2024 season.

“It was back and forth up until the end. They pretty much came away with it and we didn't finish good enough, I'll say. So, I'm just excited to play against those guys again,” Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot added that the Aztecs shouldn’t make a big deal of playing a Power 4 team.

“I've played against plenty of Power Four conferences. They’re just another opponent to me. The game picks up a little bit, some guys are better, bigger, and stronger; you just have to adapt.”

Up next

The Aztecs will try for just their second win in 10 games at the Rose Bowl when they take on UCLA at 4:15 p.m. Saturday. Big 10 Network and San Diego Sports 760 Radio will have the coverage.

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