Aztecs Football: Is the Hype for the 2016 Season Justified?

Now that the San Diego Padres season has turned into a flat-out disaster and we really don’t know what to expect from the unpredictable Chargers, we have to look forward to what might be the best season in San Diego State Aztecs football history.

As we know last season SDSU finally turned the corner it was supposed to turn ten years ago. The team went 11-3 and won it´s first Mountain West Conference championship in school history. In life, whenever you have success then comes expectation and it is safe to say that SDSU has never had this kind of expectation going in to a season.

Last year ended with the Aztecs whipping the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Hawaii Bowl. The game was on Christmas Eve and was available on ESPN, so a lot of people who hadn´t seen the Aztecs had a chance to see the team for the first time. The impressive performance was not enough for the voters to put SDSU in the final poll of the season, but the team has really progressed.

The first poll of the 2016 season has not been released yet, but there has been a lot of talk that has the Aztecs will be somewhere between 17 and 25 in the first poll. That would be awesome! After all, when was the last time our hometown college team was nationally ranked?

For 2016 to be a success SDSU needs to show early that they are disciplined team. Obviously  the talent isn’t as good as it is in some of the other larger schools, so the college football playoff might still be a pipe dream. However I think that if things break right, we could see the Aztecs in one of the bowl games on New Year’s Day. That would be quite the accomplishment for this university.

As it is with every non power school, the Aztecs would have to finish the regular season undefeated. The schedule is not as daunting as it has been in years past, the first game of the season against New Hampshire is really a tune up for what could be the game that makes or breaks SDSU season. That game is on September 10 versus the Cal Bears.

The Aztecs don’t have a great track record against power schools but this is their best chance to change that. First of all, the game is at the Q, and you have to take into consideration the fact that Cal will have a new QB under center now that Jared Goff has moved on to the NFL. If the Aztecs get by Cal, 2016 could be the best season in school history. This Aztecs team could be very special. We will see if they can live up to the hype. Only time will tell.

Miguel Vazquez

I am a lawyer that loves everything San Diego!