Mountain West title game won’t include San Diego State, which loses out in computer tiebreaker

San Diego State’s hopes of participating in the 2025 Mountain West championship game were dashed Sunday morning, when the conference announced that Boise State and UNLV will play for the title.

Boise State will host Friday’s conference championship game, which will be played at 5 p.m. PT and broadcast on Fox.

SDSU would have clinched a spot in the title game — and hosted it — if the Aztecs had beaten New Mexico in Friday’s regular-season finale.

The Lobos won 23-17 in double overtime, leaving both teams with 6-2 conference records. Boise State rallied Friday for a 25-24 win at Utah State to join them at 6-2. UNLV made it a foursome Saturday night with a 42-17 win at Nevada.

Head-to-head competition could not be used as a tiebreaker because all of the teams did not play each other this season.

The tie was broken by computer metrics, using the average from the Connelly SP+, ESPN SOR, KPI and SportSource rankings.

UNLV had a composite average of 45.50, followed by Boise State at 47.75, SDSU at 51.00 and New Mexico at 54.75.

The top two teams advanced to the conference championship. Boise State was selected to host the game based on its head-to-head victory over the Rebels. This is the third straight year Boise State and UNLV will play for the title. The Broncos are going for their third straight title.

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SDSU turned last season’s 3-9 record into 9-3 this season. The Aztecs were led by a defense regarded as the best in the Mountain West and among the best in the country, and they also benefited from solid special teams play. The Aztecs tied for first place after being picked for eighth place in a preseason media poll.

SDSU coach Sean Lewis, who has been off social media since ramping up for the season in mid-July, returned Sunday afternoon with a social media post on X (formerly Twitter): “Aztec Nation. While we fell short of earning a spot in the Mountain West championship game, I could not be more proud of our student-athletes, coaches and support staff. Together, we’ve delivered a tremendous 9-3 season, including a perfect 6-0 record at Snapdragon Stadium. What this team has accomplished is truly impressive.

“Now, we have an incredible opportunity ahead. We’ve earned a chance to compete in a bowl game and bring home a tenth win of the season. Our program is built on being focused, accountable, smart and tough and this year has shown exactly what Aztec football stands for.

“Proud to lead, humbled to serve.”

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— Sean Lewis (@TheHC_CoachLew) November 30, 2025

John David Wicker, SDSU’s director of athletics, applauded the program’s performance this season in a message on social media.

“I’m incredibly proud of the job @TheHC_CoachLew, his staff and the student-athletes have done this year,” Wicker posted on X. “A six-win improvement, undefeated at home, back to the top of the conference and another bowl game. I’m excited to watch us continue the climb.”

SDSU was bidding for its fourth Mountain West championship game appearance before leaving next season for the reconstituted Pac-12. The Aztecs won back-to-back MW championships in 2015-16, beating Air Force at home and Wyoming on the road (both by 27-24 scores), respectively. They lost to Utah State 46-13 in the 2021 title game played at Carson’s Dignity Health Sports Complex.

3 Thoughts … after the Aztecs’ 23-17 double-OT loss to New Mexico

Since SDSU won’t be playing in the conference championship game, Aztecs players are expected to get time off from practice this week while they await a bowl assignment. Bowl matchups will be announced next Sunday morning on ESPN’s three-hour Selection Show, which begins at 9 a.m.

Among potential landing spots for SDSU are the Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27) or Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 22), which both have tie-ins with the Mountain West. It’s also possible SDSU could be assigned to an ESPN Events bowl, such as the Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23).

The Aztecs are bowl eligible for the first time in three years. They were bowl eligible a program-record 13 straight seasons from 2010-22.