SDSU football team still holding onto Pac-12 title hopes

By Josh Frojelin

San Diego State University’s football team is still clinging onto slim Pac-12 title hopes with three weeks remaining. The Aztecs are currently in a four-way tie with Oregon State University, Texas State University and Utah State University. Based on the conference’s tiebreakers, the Aztecs are positioned third of the four as of now.

SDSU will host its final home game this Saturday against Utah State (6:30 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium), face current top-seed Boise State University on the Broncos’ home blue turf on Nov. 21, then go on the road for the conference’s “flex week.” This week allows the conference to manufacture one-or-two marquee matchups at the end of the season.

If the Aztecs can win two of their final three games, it could put them in contention for the conference title game. Especially if they defeat the Aggies this weekend, it will give SDSU the head-to-head advantage over Utah State and Texas State. SDSU lost 66-14 to the Beavers earlier this season.

“It’s definitely a great thing knowing that like the rest of the season is in our hands,” senior wide receiver Bert Emanuel Jr. said Monday in the team’s weekly on-campus press conference. “We have to play our version of football, play our Aztec ball, just to continue to get to the championship game … We want to be a championship team. And knowing that’s right there in front of us, we want to be able to go get there. It’s a great feeling.”

Here’s the problem: the Pac-12 predetermined that SDSU, BSU, OSU and TSU would be “away” during the conference’s flex week. As of now, Utah State is the only viable Pac-12 title contender that will host their final game of the week. If all four teams that are tied now remain tied, the conference will choose which rematches with the Aggies in the marquee game of the final week.

In the event of a three-or-more team tie breaker, the conference first uses “head-to-head winning percentage among the tied teams,” and then “winning percentage against all common conference opponents” to determine the winner. In a two-team tie-breaker, head-to-head is most important.

It’s still three weeks away, but the Pac-12 will have many teams battling for second-place in the conference. For SDSU, that battle continues Saturday.

“We need students, fans, (and) everyone to be there for us to pack Snapdragon Stadium, to continue our home field dominance, and to secure this one as we continue to go forward to close and have a November to remember,” SDSU head coach Sean Lewis said.

Extra points
The new Pac-12 currently has announced one confirmed postseason bowl tie-in: the resurrected Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23 at Snapdragon Stadium.

Other possible bowl games mentioned on the list for the new Pac -2 include the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 21 and the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24. However, those bowl games include tie-ins to several conferences, including the Mountain West, and teams are still to be determined.

The Poinsettia Bowl, originally played 2005-16, will pit a rebuilt Pac-12 team (including Oregon State and Washington State) against a legacy Pac-12 team.

Remaining bowl eligible teams will feed into either the Armed Forces Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl or First Responders Bowl, among other ESPN-owned bowls.

Currently, only Boise State is bowl-eligible with Texas State, Oregon State and Fresno State needing one more win to become bowl eligible. SDSU and Utah State both need two wins.

PAC-12 STANDINGS
Boise State 5-0, 8-1
Texas State 3-2, 5-4
Oregon State 3-2, 5-4
SDSU 3-2, 4-5
Utah State 3-2, 4-5
Fresno State 2-3, 5-4
Colorado State 1-4, 3-6
Washington State 0-5, 1-8