San Diego State Aztecs

Pac-12San Diego, CASnapdragon Stadium

2026: 3–⁠4 (2–⁠1 Pac-12). Last: beat Fresno State 26–⁠23 at home. Next: at Colorado State, Saturday, Oct 24, 6:30 p.m. ET.

  1. W 53–⁠20Portland State
  2. L 10–⁠28at UCLA
  3. L 13–⁠26James Madison
  4. L 16–⁠41at Toledo
  5. W 31–⁠29Texas State
  6. L 14–⁠66at Oregon State
  7. W 26–⁠23Fresno State
  8. Oct 24at Colorado State
  9. Oct 31Washington State
  10. Nov 14Utah State
  11. Nov 21at Boise State

San Diego State has played football since 1921 and is officially 604–⁠460–⁠32; 729 of its 1,096 games are in our file. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 16, in 1977. They have won five Big West Conference titles (the last in 1974), plus five California Collegiate Athletic Conference titles, three Mountain West Conference titles, three Southern California Junior College Conference titles, one Western Athletic Conference title, counting shared titles. Since 1952, the NFL Draft has taken 123 players from here in its first seven rounds, 10 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 3 players and 1 coach from San Diego State. Rocky Long (2011–⁠2019) won more games here than any other coach: 81. The most-played rival is New Mexico: 46 meetings, San Diego State leads 29–⁠17. This season, under Sean Lewis, they’re 3–⁠4.

Résumé

All-time record
604–⁠460–⁠32 official; 391–⁠327–⁠11 on file; how we count
Postseason
7–⁠11 bowls, title games, playoff
AP No. 1 finishes
0
Weeks at No. 1
0 of 29 ranked
Elo now
1464 94th of 138 FBS
Computer rankings
Massey No. 89 · Composite No. 102 in FBS, Oct 17; up 10 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
Best season by Elo
1973 rated 1678
Conference titles
17 last in 2016
Bowl record
10–⁠11 official, bowls only
Seasons
86 since 1931, 729 games

Identity

Fight song
Fight On
Student section
The Show
Apparel
Nike
Band
San Diego State University Marching Aztecs since 1946, 240 members

2026 season 3–⁠4

RosterFull 2026 season

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

This season, game by game

San Diego State’s Elo through 2026: 1529 going into the opener, 1464 after the latest game.14501475150015251550Elo 1529 going in; beat Portland State 53–20Elo 1534 going in; lost to UCLA 28–10Elo 1506 going in; lost to James Madison 26–13Elo 1488 going in; lost to Toledo 41–16Elo 1467 going in; beat Texas State 31–29Elo 1479 going in; lost to Oregon State 66–14Elo 1446 going in; beat Fresno State 26–23Now: Elo 1464 after the latest game1464
Elo going into each game, then after the latest. Filled dots: wins; open: losses. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team.

Future schedule

2027–⁠34
20273 games: 1 home, 2 away, non-conference only
20283 games: 2 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20293 games: 1 home, 2 away, non-conference only
20301 game: 1 home, non-conference only
20313 games: 2 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20332 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20342 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only

San Diego State’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of January 14, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

On the 2026 team

Program greats See all

Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at San Diego State.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Around the program

Student section
The Show · Official source
Offensive coordinator
Matt Johnson · Official source
Defensive coordinator
Demetrius Sumler · Official source
NIL collective
MESA Foundation · Single source

Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.

The apparel deal

Nike, from 2017. Long-term extension. A 2017 extension ran through the 2023-24 season. The current term hasn't been confirmed here.

Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026. Our own research hasn’t confirmed the outfitter yet.

Program strength since 1931

Best seasons ever
San Diego State end-of-season Elo from 1931 to 2026, best in 1973 at 1678.1300150017001900194019601980200020201973 peak: Elo 1678
End-of-season Elo. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team.

Head coaches

CoachYearsRecord
Sean Lewis2024–⁠202615–⁠17
Brady Hoke2009–⁠202340–⁠32
Rocky Long2011–⁠201981–⁠38
Chuck Long2006–⁠20089–⁠27
Tom Craft2002–⁠200519–⁠29
Ted Tollner1994–⁠200143–⁠48
Al Luginbill1989–⁠199331–⁠25–⁠3
Dennis Stolz1986–⁠198816–⁠19
Doug Scovil1981–⁠198524–⁠32–⁠3
Claude Gilbert1973–⁠198061–⁠26–⁠2
Don Coryell1969–⁠197236–⁠8

Most-played series

All rivalries
OpponentGamesSDSU record
New Mexico4629–⁠17
Wyoming4021–⁠19
Air Force4018–⁠22
Colorado State3823–⁠15
BYU388–⁠29–⁠1
San José State3623–⁠11–⁠2
Hawai’i3523–⁠10–⁠2
Fresno State3320–⁠13

Rivals the program names: Fresno State.

The trophy it holds: Oil Can (Fresno State, since 2023). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.

Every opponent (97)

Every program San Diego State has played, A to Z, with San Diego State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.

Conference titles

17, counting shared titles
Mountain West Conference 3
2012 (shared), 2015, 2016
Western Athletic Conference 1
1986
Big West Conference 5
1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974
California Collegiate Athletic Conference 5
1950, 1951, 1962, 1966, 1967
Southern California Junior College Conference 3
1922, 1923, 1924
MW West 5
2014 (tied), 2015, 2016, 2019 (tied), 2021
WAC Pacific 1
1998 (tied)

As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.

Conferences

  1. Independent 1925
  2. Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1926–⁠1938
  3. California Collegiate Athletic Conference 1939–⁠1941
  4. Independent 1942 and 1945
  5. California Collegiate Athletic Conference 1946–⁠1967
  6. Independent 1968
  7. PCAA 1969–⁠1975
  8. Independent 1976–⁠1977
  9. Mountain West Conference 1999–⁠2025
  10. Pac-12 since 2026
  • 1969Joined the PCAA from the California Collegiate Athletic Conference. Source
  • 1978Joined the WAC from the PCAA. Source
  • 1999Joined the Mountain West Conference from the WAC. Source
  • 2026Joined the Pac-12 from the Mountain West Conference, announced September 12, 2024. Source

San Diego State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

National award winners

All awards
2021Matt Araiza PRay Guy

Consensus All-Americans 5

2021Matt Araiza P
2017Rashaad Penny RB
1997Kyle Turley OL
1993Marshall Faulk RB
1992Marshall Faulk RB

Led the nation 20

2017Rashaad Penny rushing yards (2,248 yds)
2016Donnel Pumphrey rushing yards (2,133 yds)
2002J.R. Tolver receiving yards (1,785 yds)
2000Derrick Lewis yards per catch (25.2)
1993Marshall Faulk points (144 pts)
1992Marshall Faulk rushing yards (1,630 yds)
1991Marshall Faulk rushing touchdowns (21 TD), points (140 pts), points per game (15.56)
1990Patrick Rowe receiving yards (1,392 yds)
1987Paul Hewitt rushing touchdowns (18 TD), points (144 pts), points per game (12.0)
1987Todd Santos passing yards (3,932 yds), passing touchdowns (26 TD), total offense (3,688 yds), total offense per game (307.3)
1983Jim Sandusky receiving yards (1,171 yds), punt return average (19.0)
1980Mike Fox kickoff return average (32.8)
1975Craig Penrose passing yards (2,660 yds)
1974Dwight McDonald receptions (86 catches)
1973Jesse Freitas passing yards (2,993 yds), total offense (2,901 yds), total offense per game (263.7)
1973Keith Denson receiving touchdowns (11 TD)
1971Tom Reynolds receptions (67 catches)
1970Brian Sipe passing touchdowns (23 TD)
1969Dennis Shaw passing yards (3,185 yds), passing touchdowns (39 TD), passer rating (162.2), total offense (3,197 yds)
1969Tom Reynolds receiving touchdowns (18 TD)

The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.

Heisman runners-up and finalists

The votes
2017Rashaad Penny RB5th
1993Marshall Faulk RB4th
1992Marshall Faulk RB2nd

Second to fifth in the vote, from each season’s Wikipedia article.

In the Hall of Fame

Every inductee
Players
3
Coaches
1
2017Marshall Faulk RB
1999Don Coryell coach here, 1969–⁠1972
1997Fred Dryer DE
1985George Brown OG

In the NFL Draft

By college
Drafted, rounds 1–⁠7
123 since 1952
First-round picks
10
2026Chris Johnson CBNo. 27, Miami Dolphins
2018Rashaad Penny RBNo. 27, Seattle Seahawks
1998Kyle Turley OTNo. 7, New Orleans Saints
1994Marshall Faulk RBNo. 2, Indianapolis Colts
1991Dan McGwire QBNo. 16, Seattle Seahawks
1973Isaac Curtis WRNo. 15, Cincinnati Bengals
1972Willie Buchanon DBNo. 7, Green Bay Packers
1969Fred Dryer DENo. 13, New York Giants

Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.

The school

San Diego State University
Enrollment
41,137 35,782 undergraduates, fall 2024
Where
San Diego, California
Public or private
Public Research 1
Founded
1897
Graduates’ median earnings
$64,909 10 years after starting

Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.

Official accounts

Football
X @AztecFBInstagram @aztecfootballFacebook AztecFB
Athletics department
X @goaztecsInstagram @goaztecsYouTube user/goaztecscomFacebook goaztecs

Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones goaztecs.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.

Voices

play-by-play
  1. 1979–Ted Leitner
  2. from 2011Steve Quis

With them: Kirk Morrison (analyst, from 2013).

From the announcers’ Wikipedia articles (CC BY-SA), with the years as each article gives them: those in Wikipedia’s San Diego State football announcers category, and any whose article names them the program’s play-by-play voice. Television network crews and announcers whose articles give no years are left out.

Season by season

National champions
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20263–⁠42–⁠1Sean Lewis1464-10.2
20259–⁠46–⁠2Sean Lewis15446.7
20243–⁠92–⁠5Sean Lewis1343-15.4
20234–⁠82–⁠6Brady Hoke1437-10.3
20227–⁠65–⁠3Brady Hoke1532-4.4
202112–⁠27–⁠125Brady Hoke16318.3
20204–⁠44–⁠2Brady Hoke15575.3
201910–⁠35–⁠3Rocky Long16152.0
20187–⁠64–⁠4Rocky Long15286.0
201710–⁠36–⁠2Rocky Long16014.5
201611–⁠36–⁠225Rocky Long165911.4
201511–⁠38–⁠0Rocky Long16728.0
20147–⁠65–⁠3Rocky Long15351.0
20138–⁠56–⁠2Rocky Long1539-4.8
20129–⁠47–⁠1Rocky Long15702.4
20118–⁠54–⁠3Rocky Long1550-1.5
20109–⁠45–⁠3Brady Hoke15648.9
20094–⁠82–⁠6Brady Hoke1361-11.0
20082–⁠101–⁠7Chuck Long1326-17.9
20074–⁠83–⁠5Chuck Long1387-12.6
20063–⁠93–⁠5Chuck Long1394-13.2
20055–⁠74–⁠4Tom Craft1476-2.4
20044–⁠72–⁠5Tom Craft1437-4.0
20036–⁠63–⁠4Tom Craft1459-2.5
20024–⁠94–⁠3Tom Craft1401-6.7
Every season back to 1931 (61 more)
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20013–⁠82–⁠5Ted Tollner1373-14.8
20003–⁠83–⁠4Ted Tollner1409-6.3
19995–⁠63–⁠4Ted Tollner15367.5
19987–⁠57–⁠1Ted Tollner15120.7
19975–⁠74–⁠4Ted Tollner1476-0.9
19968–⁠36–⁠2Ted Tollner15817.7
19958–⁠45–⁠3Ted Tollner15436.2
19944–⁠72–⁠6Ted Tollner1438-0.7
19936–⁠64–⁠4Al Luginbill15034.8
19925–⁠5–⁠15–⁠3Al Luginbill15427.3
19918–⁠4–⁠16–⁠1–⁠1Al Luginbill15647.8
19906–⁠55–⁠2Al Luginbill15399.8
19896–⁠5–⁠14–⁠3Al Luginbill1478-1.7
19883–⁠83–⁠5Dennis Stolz1412-11.6
19875–⁠74–⁠4Dennis Stolz1502-4.7
19868–⁠47–⁠1Dennis Stolz15637.1
19855–⁠6–⁠13–⁠4–⁠1Doug Scovil14856.8
19844–⁠7–⁠14–⁠3–⁠1Doug Scovil14505.1
19832–⁠9–⁠11–⁠6–⁠1Doug Scovil1382-7.4
19827–⁠54–⁠3Doug Scovil15335.7
19816–⁠53–⁠5Doug Scovil14714.9
19804–⁠84–⁠4Claude Gilbert1397-15.0
19798–⁠34–⁠2Claude Gilbert15563.2
19784–⁠72–⁠4Claude Gilbert1512-5.3
197710–⁠116Claude Gilbert167113.0
197610–⁠1Claude Gilbert16585.6
19758–⁠33–⁠2Claude Gilbert16059.0
19748–⁠2–⁠14–⁠0Claude Gilbert165016.6
19739–⁠1–⁠13–⁠0–⁠1Claude Gilbert167819.3
197210–⁠14–⁠0Don Coryell164113.1
19716–⁠52–⁠3Don Coryell14841.0
19709–⁠25–⁠1Don Coryell157513.2
196911–⁠06–⁠0Don Coryell1579
19684–⁠01375
19670–⁠11219
19661–⁠01261
19651–⁠01212
19640–⁠11182
19631–⁠01206
19621–⁠01174
19580–⁠11108
19570–⁠31104
19560–⁠2–⁠11113
19550–⁠21106
19540–⁠11133
19530–⁠11135
19520–⁠11138
19510–⁠0–⁠11161
19500–⁠21157
19491–⁠11196
19481–⁠21219
19472–⁠11218
19460–⁠11131
19390–⁠11138
19371–⁠01186
19360–⁠0–⁠11139
19351–⁠01147
19340–⁠41107
19330–⁠11147
19321–⁠01178
19311–⁠01150

Officially 604–⁠460–⁠32 since 1921 (per Wikipedia, through the 2025 season); game by game here, 391–⁠327–⁠11 (729 of its 1,096 games are on file). Our file starts in 1931; the program began in 1921. Some games are missing from our source.

No season on file for 1938, 1940–⁠45, 1959–⁠61: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.

Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.