BACK ON TRACK
* San Diego State kicks off the 2022 Mountain West schedule Friday night at Boise State.
* The Aztecs (2-2) are playing away from San Diego County for the 25th time over their last 28 games. Prior to this season, SDSU had played its previous 23 games (two-plus seasons) out of San Diego County, including 12 "home" games at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, some two hours away from the San Diego State campus.
* Friday's game features two of the best teams over the last seven-plus seasons. The Aztecs are 67-26 (.720) since 2015 with six bowl appearances, two Mountain West titles, three MW Championship appearances and the 12th-best record over that span (No. 3 Group of 5 record) (min. 70 games as an FBS program). The Broncos (2-2), meanwhile, are 66-24 (.733) since 2015 with five bowl trips (their 2021 Arizona Bowl was canceled), two MW titles, four MW Championship appearances and the eight-best record over that span (No. 2 Group of 5 record).
* Only two games will be played this weekend featuring the top-20 winningest programs since 2015 (min. 70 games as FBS program): San Diego State at Boise State and Michigan at Iowa.
* The Aztecs and Broncos have been the best teams in the Mountain West since the league split into two divisions in 2013. Including MW Championship and a bowl game (Colorado State and Nevada played one another in the 2015 Arizona Bowl), BS is 60-15 (.800) since 2015, six games ahead of SDSU's 53-20 mark (.726). The next best team is Utah State at 44-29 (.603). Against the West Division, Boise State and USU are tied for the best record at 22-8 (.733), while San Diego State is third at 30-14 (.682). Facing the Mountain Division, the Broncos (38-7, .844) and the Aztecs (23-6, .793) are clearly the two best teams as only two others have a winning record (Air Force - 23-21 - and Utah State - 22-21). Full chart on page 11.
* SDSU and BS are meeting for the eighth time with San Diego State leading the all-time series, 4-3.
* San Diego State is the only active Group of 5 program with a winning record against Boise State (min. 7 games played) and one of only three active schools overall (also Oregon State and Washington State).
* Since their first meeting in 2011, the Broncos are 3-4 (.429) against the Aztecs and 106-30 (.779) in their other 136 games.
* Since the 2012 season when BS hosted SDSU for the first time, Boise State is 1-2 (.333) at home against SDSU and 51-8 (.864) in its other 59 home contests.
* Friday will be the first time in series history that neither team has a winning record going into the game (both schools are 2-2). In the previous seven meetings, San Diego State entered with a combined 42-16 (.724) record, while Boise State had collectively gone 45-14 (.763).
* Neither the Aztecs nor Broncos are ranked, marking just the third time in series history neither team was nationally ranked.
* SDSU has been an underdog in six of the seven meetings in the series, winning four of those games outright (4-2).
* Only three of the seven previous meetings have been decided by one score (eight points or less). San Diego State has won all three - 21-19 in Boise on Nov. 3, 2012, 34-31 (OT) in San Diego on Nov. 23, 2013 and 19-13 in Boise on Oct. 6, 2018.
* The Aztecs have won their last seven games overall decided by one score, including last Saturday's 17-14 victory over Toledo.
* SDSU avoided its first 1-3 start since 2015 with the 17-14 win over Toledo. San Diego State forced four turnovers on defense (most since 2019 New Mexico Bowl against Central Michigan), ran for 217 yards on offense (54-2 last 56 games rushing for 200-plus yards) and received a MW Special Teams Player-of-the-Week effort from kicker/punter Jack Browning. Browning, who received a scholarship after practice on Sunday, made his only field goal attempt - career-long 50-yarder - had six of his nine punts land inside the 20-yard line (three inside the 10) and had two touchbacks in four kickoffs. Out of his 13 overall kicks (punts and kickoffs), Toledo averaged starting on its own 21.8-yard line.
Aztecs Ready for Friday Night at Boise State
