The San Diego State football team is two wins away from playing in the Mountain West Championship for the first time since 2021. The Aztecs last won the title in 2016.
The most impressive turnaround in the Mountain West is in full swing. The Aztecs went 3-9 last year in head coach Sean Lewis’ first season with the program. They’ve already won more games this year than the previous three seasons, and they’re in line for their first season with at least 10 wins since they went 12-2 in 2021.
Leading the charge is a defense that ranks among the best in the nation. San Diego State is giving up 12.5 points a game, which ranks No. 4 in the country. It leads the Mountain West in total defense (262.4 yards per game allowed) and rushing defense (100.2 YPG), and ranks No. 2 in the conference in passing defense (162.2 YPG).
That defense will be tested this weekend as San Jose State (3-7, 2-4 Mountain West) takes its potent passing attack on the road to face San Diego State (8-2, 5-1) on Saturday.
San Jose State leads the Mountain West with 313.8 passing yards a game, which ranks No. 4 in the country. The Spartans have three receivers with at least 650 receiving yards. Sacramento State transfer Danny Scudero leads the conference with 72 catches for 1,155 yards and is tied with Hawaii’s Jackson Harris with a league-high 10 touchdown catches. Kyri Shoels has 55 catches for 727 yards, and Purdue transfer Leland Smith has hauled in 39 passes for 654 yards.
As impressive as the receivers are, Lewis said the Spartans offense runs through quarterback Walker Eget, who won the starting job midway through last season, has posted 3,015 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight interceptions this year.
“They’re going to spread the field,” Lewis said. “(Eget) knows the system intimately. He’s got really good touch. He’s got really good ball velocity. I mean, you can’t relax.”
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
San Jose State is coming off a 55-10 loss to Nevada. San Diego State heads into this weekend on the heels of what Lewis called a program-defining 17-7 win over Boise State. The Aztecs ran the ball and played stingy enough on defense that they won the game despite finishing with just 17 passing yards.
Running back Lucky Sutton reached a milestone in the win. He surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his college career and leads the Mountain West with 1,048 yards on the ground.
San Jose State vs. San Diego State Betting Odds
San Diego State is an 11.5-point college football betting odds favorite at BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 49.5 points. The moneyline is at -550 for San Diego State and +400 for San Jose State.
San Diego State leads the all-time series 24-21-2, but San Jose State won their most recent meeting 24-13 in 2023.
San Jose State is 5-15 overall and 12-7-1 against the spread in its past 20 regular season games as an underdog on the road. San Diego State is 17-3 overall and 10-10 ATS in its past 20 regular season games as the favorite at home.
San Jose State vs. San Diego State On TV
The Mountain West game featuring San Diego State and San Jose State at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, will be televised on FS1.
Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
San Jose State vs. San Diego State Prediction
I predict San Diego State wins 24-14.
San Jose State’s passing attack is clicking for the second season in a row, but the Spartans rushing attack isn’t quite up to par and the defense is suspect at times. San Diego State’s defense is solid, and the Aztecs are trusting their offensive line and backfield to carry them to wins.
San Diego State is going to be without leading receiver Jordan Napier, who suffered a season-ending injury last week, but the Aztecs can win the conference title without him. I think they just have to keep relying on their defense and Sutton. He’s a big, bruising back that wears defenses down by the second half.
I think the Aztecs have to take care of business this week because they go on the road and face a surging team from New Mexico in the regular season finale next week.
