2012-13 Football Previews – (Mountain West) – SDSU
Brady Hoke turned this team around and Rocky Long did a good job of keeping it going last year. The job will get a little tougher now with a more difficult Mountain West Conference. It also gets more difficult now that the team won’t have Ryan Lindley or Ronnie Hillman in the backfield.
Mountain West 2012-2013 College Football Previews: San Diego State Aztecs
Head Coach: Rocky Long
2011 Record: 8-5
San Diego State Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: (Part of Field) +1,800
San Diego State Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win Mountain West: +2,000
San Diego State hadn’t had a winning season before 2010 since 1998, so picking up consecutive winning seasons was a great sign for the program. As much as it doesn’t make any geographical sense, the Aztecs are going to join the Big East after this season. They’ll try to go out with a bang from the Mountain West Conference.
Team Strengths:
The secondary is the strength of the San Diego State defense, and probably the biggest strength of the team overall. Leon McFadden could have gone pro, but his father convinced him to stick around for another year. McFadden was a first-team all Mountain West player, and he is a terrific shut down corner. Josh Wade is a very solid corner on the other side as well.
The group of pass catchers was a question mark heading into last year, but it should be a strength this season. Colin Lockett is one of the fastest receivers in the nation, and he should have a great season. Gavin Escobar will be one of the best tight ends in the country. Expect Escobar to be targeted quite often this year. Brice Butler gives the team another reliable pass catcher on the outside too. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
The defensive front is a major concern for San Diego State this season. The defensive line is alarmingly small compared to most. The biggest guy for San Diego State weighs 275, and this team has a lot of linemen in the 250 pound range. Can this defensive front stand up to the continuous push from some of the huge lines in this conference?
San Diego State went from having an amazing tandem at quarterback and running back to having some big question marks. There is talent at these spots, but without any kind of experience in the system it has to be a concern for the coaches. The starting quarterback is still undetermined, and it seems the team will go with two guys as the main runners in the backfield.
Special teams don’t look good for this team heading into 2012. San Diego State has a very shaky situation at placekicker, and their return teams and kick coverage teams weren’t very good last year either.
2012-2013 San Diego State Aztecs Football Prediction: 7-6
San Diego State has far more question marks now than they had last year. The season opener at Washington is a very tough game, but the rest of the non-conference schedule is pretty easy. This team isn’t as good as Boise State or Nevada, and I expect them to be battling with teams like Wyoming and Fresno State for the next couple spots in the conference.
In the end, there are too many question marks here for this team to contend in the Mountain West. Look for a small step backward in 2012.
2012 San Diego State Schedule
9/1/12 10:30 PM ET @WASH
9/8/12 TBD ARMY
9/15/12 TBD UND
9/22/12 TBD SJST
9/29/12 TBD @FRSST
10/6/12 TBD HAW
10/13/12 TBD COLST
10/20/12 TBD @NEV
10/27/12 TBD UNLV
11/3/12 TBD @BOIST
11/10/12 TBD AIRFC
11/24/12 3:30 PM ET @WYOM
