Aztecs still have plenty of possibilities for bowl game

San Diego State coach Sean Lewis periodically mentions the 12 days on the calendar in which SDSU has a game and how special it is to have those opportunities.

Hundreds of hours in the weight room, the classroom and the practice field are all dedicated to those dozen days. Do well enough in those moments, and you get another game day together.

Say what you will about the proliferation of bowl games and their significance, but they mean a great deal to players and coaches who have bonded over a common purpose.

“When we first got together and training camp started, we didn’t know if we would be sitting here together to have another opportunity, a 13th game to play,” said Lewis, who guided the Aztecs to a 9-3 regular-season record. “Selfishly, that’s really exciting for me, just more time around this special group of guys.

“It’s really cool that these guys have earned and created more time together. We talk a lot about time and how precious it is and what a finite resource it is. How cool is it for this special group of guys to have created more time.”

Postseason appearances were routine for SDSU during a school-record run from 2010-22 in which the Aztecs were bowl-eligible. A two-year absence disrupted that routine, making SDSU’s return this season more notable.

The Aztecs find out on Sunday where they’re headed, who they’re playing and a date for the kickoff.

Lewis was asked this week if he knows where they’re going.

“I don’t,” he said. “I’m excited to see what it is.”

SDSU could be headed anywhere from Idaho to Arizona to Texas. It hinges to some degree on this weekend’s championship game results, but more so on what matchups bowl organizers — read: ESPN — determine are best for their games.

The Mountain West has seven bowl-eligible teams, though the conference has primary tie-ins with only five bowls. That means the conference will be looking to place a couple of its teams with ESPN Events bowls.

Hawaii (8-4) is already ticketed for the Hawaii Bowl (against Cal). New Mexico (9-3) is expected to stay home for the New Mexico Bowl.

Boise State (9-4) won the Mountain West championship game Friday night with a 38-21 victory over UNLV (10-3), so the Broncos will go to the L.A. Bowl.

That leaves conference tie-ins with the Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27) and Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 22).

Utah State (6-6) is a natural fit for the Potato Bowl because of its proximity, but the Aggies were there just two years ago and the bowl may want new blood.

That makes SDSU a candidate for the game in Boise. The Aztecs haven’t played in the Potato Bowl since beating Buffalo 49-24 in 2013 game.

A better fit for SDSU is the Arizona Bowl, which is a six-hour drive from San Diego to Tucson. Some projections have Fresno State (8-4) headed to the Arizona Bowl, which also could be interested in UNLV. The 10-win Rebels likely will be attractive enough to go elsewhere, however.

The Arizona Bowl, in its 11th year, has never hosted Fresno State, SDSU or UNLV.

The other scenario that looms large coming into Selection Sunday regards ESPN Events bowls located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where the First Responders Bowl (Dec. 26), Frisco Bowl (Dec. 27) and the Armed Forces Bowl (Jan. 2) are staged, and in Houston, which hosts the Texas Bowl (Dec. 27).

SDSU has played twice in the Frisco Bowl, beating UTSA 38-34 in 2021 and losing to Ohio 27-0 in 2018. The Aztecs played Army in the 2017 Armed Forces Bowl, losing 42-35.

SDSU has never played in the First Responders or Texas bowls.

ESPN Events owns 17 bowls across the country, so there’s always a possibility of SDSU being matched up in another bowl. Those scenarios aren’t as likely as the bowls in the state of Texas, however.