Could USD beat the Aztecs in football?

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Saturday, November 4, 2006 11:34 PM PST ∞

Could USD beat the Aztecs? By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer

NO

After a voice-raised, arms-waving rant, the guys in the office kidded me that my red and black was showing. I couldn't help but overheat when I read the comments by University of San Diego football coach Jim Harbaugh, saying he wanted to challenge San Diego State to a game.

Harbaugh said he had approached San Diego State athletic director Jeff Schemmel and was willing to fill one of SDSU's open dates in the next couple of years. Harbaugh hinted his squad could compete with the Aztecs.

Why in the name of Monty Montezuma would San Diego State even consider playing the Toreros? The Aztecs have nothing to gain and everything to lose. Not only do I think the Aztecs would win, but I think the game wouldn't be close.

My argument lost a little steam last Saturday when the Aztecs were beaten by NCAA Division I-AA foe Cal Poly, but the Mustangs are a full-scholarship program. The Toreros are a nonscholarship team.

Certainly, USD is on a great run. And I'm not trying to knock their players or coaches. Several former North County prep standouts are starring for the Toreros. They're nationally ranked in Division I-AA and deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments.

Honestly, despite playing baseball, coaching and working at San Diego State, I root for USD to do well.

But to think USD would stand a chance on the football field against San Diego State is juvenile.

The Aztecs are too big and too strong. Despite their losing record, they would wear the Toreros down and win by three touchdowns, maybe more.

I thought that before I saw USD play on television last week, and I believe it even more now.

Through a friend, I learned that Harbaugh's statement about the Aztecs was a slip of the tongue. He was on a roll, building up his program, when he was asked about playing the Aztecs. And he made a statement he probably wants back.

I firmly believe San Diego State and USD should play ---- in all sports ... but football.

Both schools are on the same ground in baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, golf, basketball. There is a natural rivalry. But not in football.

Harbaugh is fairly new to the college coaching profession, but he's isn't a babe in the woods with the media. He played quarterback at Michigan in the Rose Bowl. He played 15 seasons on the big stage in the NFL. And he coached in the pros.

This isn't his first rodeo. He has been interviewed before. I understand he's passionate about his program, and he has every right to be proud of what his team has accomplished. But he really needs to think before he speaks.

Contact John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.

YES

Perhaps you've heard that Jim Harbaugh, the University of San Diego's confident and charismatic football coach, wants a piece of San Diego State.

Perhaps you've considered the prospect of the Toreros, a Division I-AA team with not a single scholarship player, facing the Aztecs ---- with the standard Division I-A allotment of 85 scholarships ---- and enjoyed a chuckle at Harbaugh's expense. Perhaps you think he has a screw loose for thinking his undersized, outmanned bunch could spring an upset.

Perhaps you should allow for another possibility: Harbaugh is right.

While San Diego State is scuffling along in coach Chuck Long's first season, USD is laying waste to every opponent in its path. The Toreros are 9-0, have won 17 games in a row and 25 of their past 26. Granted, this run has come against other nonscholarship programs with obscure names such as Azusa Pacific and Morehead State, but you can only play the teams on your schedule.

We already knew the Aztecs, with no winning seasons since 1998, were a I-A bottom-feeder. But they could at least claim superiority over middling I-AA teams. They could, that is, until last weekend, when they suffered a shocking and humbling home loss to Cal Poly.

To be sure, a sound argument can be made that a team like Cal Poly, which can hand out as many as 63 scholarships and is ranked sixth in the I-AA poll, occupies a different league than USD. Then again, USD isn't the typical nonscholarship school.

Start with Harbaugh. In 2004, he inherited a squad that had averaged five victories in the previous six seasons and has whipped it into a machine. There's a reason why Harbaugh interviewed for the job Long landed and why his name has arisen in connection with the Michigan State vacancy. Like Urban Meyer during his Utah days, he's a star on the rise.

At the all-important field-general position, Josh Johnson ---- a junior QB whom Harbaugh, with a straight face, has compared favorably with Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith ---- would give the Toreros a substantial advantage over San Diego State redshirt freshman Kevin Craft. As for the trenches, the physical mismatch you would assume isn't apparent on paper; USD's offensive and defensive lines average 280 and 258 pounds per man, respectively, not all that different from Mountain West Conference stalwart Air Force.

If those points don't sway you, maybe some cold, hard mathematics will. In the latest power ratings by Jeff Sagarin, whose computations factor into the Bowl Championship Series, the little Toreros rank 95th, ahead of Colorado (104), Northwestern (113) and, yep, the Aztecs (123). According to Sagarin's model, USD would be favored by about a touchdown over San Diego State on a neutral field.

Sounds about right.

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.

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Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

SDSU Sucks wrote on Nov 5, 2006 12:06 AM:I'm sorry but pulling off a nice 1-7 record proves to me that SDSU would not even make newspapers if it wasn't the only Div I-A school in SD. Maybe the two schools could switch conferences next year. 10 bucks says USD would do a lot better than getting schooled by Cal Poly and the other mediocre teams in their mediocre conference. I'd say a football game between the two would go the same way the basketball game last year went: another reason proving USD is better at SDSU in both academics AND athletics.

BIll2 wrote on Nov 5, 2006 8:48 PM:I am SO glad to see someone that has priorities at a time when our country is so screwed up. When I started school back east MANY years ago sports were an AFTER SCHOOL activity and the teams bought their own equipment. NO TIME was wasted from academic studies and there were NO million dollar contracts for sports players. Everyone had to have a REAL job.

Knights Tale wrote on Nov 5, 2006 9:55 PM:I wouldn't bet against San Marcos High School being able to run SDSU out of the stadium.

Robert wrote on Nov 7, 2006 6:51 AM:If you have not seen USD Toreros play, your in for a real treat!! SDSU best not play USD as they would be crushed worse than they were by Cal Poly.. Hey maybe SDSU should stop wasting money and give their 85 scholarships to USD!!!

Wake up wrote on Nov 7, 2006 12:45 PM:USD will probably play san marcos high school for their pfl championship so place your bet then.

Toreador wrote on Nov 7, 2006 5:07 PM:Go Toreros!!!

tbone wrote on Nov 7, 2006 8:19 PM:Maybe John Manson could tackle within the endzones and not get so many 15 yarders!!!.....and then USD would win.

AztekJo wrote on Nov 8, 2006 12:21 PM:This is all because they fired Tom Craft, he was the best coach SDSU ever had. Down with Long back with Craft.

Gnarly Charlie wrote on Nov 8, 2006 12:22 PM:So now that SDSU has hit rock bottom and USD are a good division I-AA team Harbaugh wants to play? Fine, but what do the Aztecs get out of it? If they played 5 years ago the Aztecs would've won 85 - 3. Osgood and Tolver probably would've had about 300 recieving yards apiece. The Aztecs were pretty bad that year too.

Jay wrote on Nov 8, 2006 2:21 PM:AztecJo is right. If Craft were still head coach, the Aztecs are making a run at a bowl game (six wins). Last year, they were one win (a couple of plays) away from being bowl eligible. What does Schemmel have to say about all this?

Isaac wrote on Nov 8, 2006 9:40 PM:SDSU football has a proud tradition: strong pre-season hype from local media prior to stinking up the stadiums the teams appear in. SDSU is afraid of playing USD?!!! What a joke. At least USD has a winning record. Hey, thank goodness SDSU has '69 season to remember!

Naz wrote on Nov 9, 2006 9:36 AM:This year may be an anomaly and we may actually get to see USD and SDSU play a common opponent in CAL POLY. If USD continues to dominate they may meet up with CAL POLY in the Div IAA playoffs. I hope that State gets their ship turned around because it is awfully depressing to watch them lose year after year after year...soon to be decade after decade. Harbaugh and USD on the other hand are at a point in their history that is akin to Coryell and the Aztecs from the mid 60's creating a program that is something special and that city of San Diego can be proud of for years to come.

AgreewithIsaac wrote on Nov 9, 2006 9:55 AM:SDSU has a tradition of pre-season hype followed by a disappointing season whereas USD has the exact opposite tradition...being unheard of until SDSU's season goes down the toilet and the press jumps to cover a team that actually has talent. If SDSU wasn't the only D-I school in San Diego, people would not have even heard of Coach Long...

kepi wrote on Nov 9, 2006 11:47 AM:USD would throttle the lowly Indians....! I bet the native americans wished they would stop calling themselves the Aztecs.

BigMack wrote on Nov 10, 2006 3:02 AM:Who are all these people?

Robert wrote on Nov 11, 2006 5:39 AM:And now USD can kick their butts on the field as they have done for years in the classroom where it really counts! Anyone at SDSU care to compare SAT scores? I didnt think so.

john wrote on Nov 11, 2006 12:57 PM:It's simple, while Long is head coach, USD wins!!! Nice hire Schemmel, you know Craft should still be here, karma baby!!!!!!

Andrew wrote on Nov 16, 2006 8:06 AM:I couldn't agree with Mr. Maffei more. Not trying to take anything away from the great job Coach Harbaugh had done at USD, but think about it. 95% of those guys are playing at a non-scholarship school because they weren't offered D1 scholarships. Not because they're bad football players, but because they don't have the D1 size or speed. And that, not the coaching or the effort, would give a win to SDSU if the two ever met.

Fred wrote on Dec 2, 2006 6:49 AM:Tom Craft left an offensive line that averaged 305 pounds per man. Compare that to the average weight of the USD football linemen. No contest! In a smashmouth game, the Aztecs would always come out on top of such a mismatch. Harbaugh was obviously under the influence of something when he said that.

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