The Aztecs kick off their 2012 season Saturday at Washington.

Aug. 27, 2012

SAN DIEGO -

SDSU-WASHINGTON GAME NOTES

SDSU Football Kicks Off Season Saturday at Washington
San Diego State opens its 90th season of football, 44th at the Division I level, the 14th and final as a member of the Mountain West Conference (SDSU joins the BIG EAST Conference for football next season) and the second under head coach Rocky Long on Saturday, Sept. 1 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle against Washington.

Of the 53 FBS games scheduled on Saturday, this is one of only 12 to feature a pair of bowl teams from the 2011 campaign. The Aztecs played in the R+L Carrier New Orleans Bowl en route to an 8-5 season while the Huskies advanced to Valero Alamo Bowl and finished 7-6.

San Diego State returns 13 starters and 40 letterwinners off a 2011 team that posted its second consecutive winning season and second straight bowl appearance. SDSU has not posted three consecutive winning seasons since 1989-91 and has never advanced to a bowl game in three straight years.

The Aztecs are looking to win their third consecutive season-opening game for the first time since winning the opener four straight years from 1994 through 1997.

This is just the third all-time meeting between the two schools, with UW owning a 2-0 series lead. In each of the previous encounters, Washington was ranked among the top three in the country at kickoff.

Following the game, San Diego State opens a three-game homestand at Qualcomm Stadium (aka: Aztec Warrior Stadium) with a contest against Army on Sept. 8. In addition to playing three straight at home, SDSU will play five of its next six contests on home turf starting with the matchup against the Cadets.