San Diego State Football

Two programs not used to the bowl scene will meet up on Saturday when the San Diego State Aztecs travel to New Orleans to take on the Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin' Cajuns in the New Orleans Bowl.

Both teams finished the season 8-4. San Diego State went 4-3 in Mountain West Conference play, good enough for a fourth-place finish.  Louisiana-Lafayette was 6-2 against Sun Belt Conference opponents, finishing in third place in the conference. 

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

When: Saturday, Dec. 17 at 9 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN

Listen: KOGO 95.7 FM and 600 AM in San Diego. KHXT 1420 AM in Lafayette and KHXT 107.9 FM in Lafayette

Betting Line 

San Diego State (-4.5), according to Bodava

This is a good number for the Aztecs. They are coming in winning two games in a row, while Louisiana-Lafayette has dropped two in a row.

Key Storyline

Until it happens, the storyline for any game involving San Diego State will be centered around their upcoming move to the Big East. Big games like this against small-conference teams are must wins for them.

Who Might Not Play for San Diego State

TE D.J. Shields is questionable.

DL J.J. Autele and DB Brandon Davis are probable.

Who Might Not Play for LA-Lafayette

LB Le'Marcus Gibson is doubtful.

CB Dwight Bentley is probable.

What This Means for San Diego State

This is the first time in the franchise's history that they are appearing in consecutive bowl games. Last year, they won. The difference is that the Poinsettia Bowl is played in San Diego State's home stadium. This year, they are going to be the road team. How they adjust will tell us a lot about how far the program has come.

What This Means for LA-Lafayette

Like San Diego State, Louisiana-Lafayette's football history is not promising. Like San Diego State, they are a small-conference team in a part of the country surrounded by big-market teams. 

Playing in their home state, it will be important for the Ragin' Cajuns to come out and perform well to show how much their program has evolved under Mark Hudspeth.

What They're Saying

Dan Hayes of the North County Times talked about how much senior quarterback Ryan Lindley's perspective of the program has changed in his time at San Diego State.

Now, Lindley beams like a proud parent over the program's accomplishments the last two seasons. He always believed that the fans could be swayed, that the desire for a winner was there. He sees the difference now and enjoys the new climate as teachers congratulate him and he hears about students who want to attend games.

Nakia Hogan of the Times-Picayune speculated that Louisiana-Lafayette's success might earn Hudspeth offers from more high profile programs.

Because of his quick turnaround job at Louisiana-Lafayette, Hudspeth has become one of the hot names for schools searching for a new coach.

Hudspeth, a former assistant at Mississippi State and head coach at North Alabama, was rumored or linked to vacancies at Southern Mississippi, Tulane and Ole Miss, to name of few.

He also quoted Hudspeth as downplaying the rumors, giving credit to his players.

But that's really a compliment to our team's success. Whenever a head coach is mentioned anywhere, that's a compliment to his players that they are playing hard and they are winning games and they are a good football team.

San Diego State Player to Watch

Running back Ronnie Hillman. He's had 1,656 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. The Aztecs offense runs through him.

LA-Lafayette Player to Watch

Quarterback Gautier. He's the team's leading passer and second leading rusher. His 20:5 TD:INT ratio will keep the Ragin' Cajuns in any game they play.

Key Matchup

Hillman vs. the Louisiana-Lafayette defense. If Hillman is taken out of the picture, San Diego State will have a hard time consistently moving the ball.

Prediction: San Diego State 34, Louisiana-Lafayette 24

We'll get plenty of offense out of this game, but San Diego State's attack is too vast. It will be close for a while, but the Aztecs will pull away.

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The San Diego State Aztecs head into the Superdome this Saturday night as a road favorite in a neutral-site game when they take on the hometown UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns in this year’s New Orleans Bowl.

The kickoff for this Mountain West verses Sun Belt clash is set for 9 p.m. (EST) and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

San Diego State rolled over UNLV 31-14 as a 16.5-point road favorite, and outlasted Fresno State 35-28 as a 7.5-point home favorite to close out the season with an overall record of 8-4 straight up.

The Aztecs failed to cover the spread in four of their final six games to finish 5-7 against the spread. The total went "over" in two of their final three games, but was an even 6-6 on the year.

One thing the Aztecs have been able to do very well this season is run the ball. They averaged 194.2 yards a game on the ground, led by Ronnie Hillman’s 287 carries for 1,656 yards and 19 touchdowns.

They have also done a good job at finding the end zone with an average of 28.8 points a game this season, including putting up a total of 101 points in their last three games.

UL-Lafayette closed out the season with two straight losses, but covered the spread as a double-digit road underdog in both. First the Ragin’ Cajuns dropped a 30-21 decision to Sun Belt champion Arkansas State as 11-point underdogs. Then they lost to Arizona, 45-37, as 13.5-point underdogs to finish the season at 8-4 both SU and ATS on the year.

The loss to the Red Wolves dropped their final record in the conference to 6-2 SU, and the total went "over" in eight of their 12 games this season.

This is another team that is no stranger to the end zone with an average of 32.3 points a game. The 21 points scored against Arkansas State was just the third time all season that UL Lafayette failed to score at least 30 points in a game.

The problem has been a defense that has trouble keeping its opponents out of the end zone as well. The Ragin’ Cajuns finished the regular season ranked 83rd in the country in points allowed, giving up an average of 29.8 points a game.

2011 New Orleans Bowl Odds

San Diego State opened as a 4.5-point favorite for this game, according to college football odds, and the line has held steady from the start.

The total line opened up at 59 points and has dipped slightly to 58.5, which just further enhances an "over" play in a matchup that feature two prolific offenses and defenses that have been suspect at times this year.

New Orleans Bowl Betting Trends

The Aztecs are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a favorite, but they are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games followings an ATS loss. The total has stayed under in five of their last seven nonconference games.

The Ragin’ Cajuns are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games as an underdog and 5-0 ATS in their last five non-conference games. The total has gone over in seven of their last eight non-conference games.

2011 New Orleans Bowl Predictions

As mentioned before, both these teams know how to put points on the board, and given the fast track at the Superdome that should be once again be the case come Saturday night. Home-field advantage should also be a factor, with UL-Lafayette basically playing this game in their own backyard. That being the case, stick with the Ragin’ Cajuns to keep pace in this track meet to cover with the 4.5 points.

The New Orleans Bowl Free Pick: San Diego State 35, UL Lafayette 33

It's easy to look at San Diego State's 5-3 record and say they haven't missed a beat since last season. That's why their potential inclusion into the Big East, along with BYU, seems like a good move for the conference. But while I like BYU as a team that can stir up the pot, there are signs that San Diego State has taken a step back since former head coach Brady Hoke's departure.

Sure, the Aztecs still have quarterback Ryan Lindley and running back Ronnie Hillman. Those two will always be threats. But San Diego State hasn't beaten anyone of significance this season, and while they battled ranked teams to the very end last season, they got blasted by Michigan and TCU this season.

San Diego State, under Hoke, played three ranked teams in 2010: Air Force, TCU and Utah. They beat then-No. 23 Air Force 27-24, and they lost to then-No. 3 TCU and then-No. 23 Utah by a combined nine points.

So far this season, the Aztecs haven't appeared to be nearly as strong against tougher competition. That's why the possibility of them getting picked up by the Big East should have Big East fans disappointed.

Add in the fact that the Aztecs would have to travel across the country for away games, and there's the potential for them to grow more weary as the season progresses.

Right now, the Big East appears as if it would prefer MWC program Air Force. But Air Force is still undecided whether it wants to leave the MWC, and if it doesn't, then that opens up a slot for San Diego State.

Last season, I would be all for the Big East including San Diego State, but the Aztecs also had Hoke then, and he's proven throughout his career (Ball State, SDSU, Michigan) that he's one of the better head coaches in college football.

Adding San Diego State is the wrong move for the Big East.

If you haven't been living under a rock, you know that the conference realignment is really hurting the Big East. The conference has already lost key members in Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the ACC, and it looks like they'll lose West Virginia to the Big 12 at some point.

Connecticut has also said that they would jump ship if the opportunity presents itself.

It seems like the only teams that are staying are the teams that don't have any other options right now.

Once West Virginia bolts for the Big 12, the Big East will be left with just five football schools, and none of them are attractive at all. This would not only remove any chance of the Big East having an automatic qualifying BCS bid, but it would also make them one of the worst conferences in the country.

The Big East is working on fixing the conference, as they have recently sent invites to Air Force, Navy, SMU, Houston, Central Florida and Boise State. If those schools accept the invites, it will be a great start to get this conference back on their feet.

But there are other rumors flying around that San Diego State may want a piece of the action as well. I understand why the Aztecs would wan to make the move.

If those invites accept, that would leave the MWC a mess and hurt San Diego State's program. But, like any school, they would jump at the opportunity to have a shot at an automatic BCS bid, and joining the Big East would mean more money for the San Diego State program.

This would not benefit the Big East in any way. Sure, it would be another school that would help replace the programs that left, but is this conference adding teams just to add them, or are they trying to gain some respect back?

San Diego State has made one bowl game and had one winning season since 1998, and that is while playing in watered-down conferences like the WAC and the MWC. People criticize Boise State for their weak schedule; well, imagine when a team that has the same schedule has a losing record.

Sure, they have an up-and-coming basketball program that is building by leaps and bounds under head coach Steve Fisher. But is this addition really worth it?

Does it really make sense to add a team that is almost 3,000 miles away from most of the other teams in the conference? If you thought Boise State was far away from Rutgers, add about 1,000 more miles to that distance and let me know how you like that.

Adding San Diego State just doesn't make sense, and it has really shown how embarrassing and desperate the Big East is right now.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or Randy.Chambers7@yahoo.com

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Ronnie Hillman, the sophomore phenom running back for the San Diego State Aztecs, excited Aztecs fans last year with one of the most impressive freshman seasons in recent memory.

As a freshman, Hillman broke Marshall Faulk's freshman rushing record at San Diego State with 1,532 yards. Hillman's rushing total also eclipsed the Mountain West Conference freshman rushing record. Following Hillman's outstanding freshman season, why hasn't there been more national fanfare regarding the 5'10", 192-pound star? 

In a recent interview with Fox Sports, Hillman voiced his opinion on the matter. Hillman said, "Guys like Kellen Moore and Andy Dalton, they've been doing it for a while and they've been overlooked for the past three years. They do get overlooked…they get downplayed because of the conference."

Fans of BCS conference teams may point at the Mountain West and say that the competition is watered down. However, Hillman proved that he could perform in big games last year. In a narrow loss at Missouri, Hillman ran for 228 yards and two touchdowns, including a 93-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the Aztecs up by one. 

Hillman saved his best performance for last. Against Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl, Hillman once again ran for 228 yards. He also scored three touchdowns on the ground and caught another from Ryan Lindley. Hillman's MVP performance led the Aztecs to their first postseason victory since the 1969 Pasadena Bowl.

To get the national attention that he deserves, Hillman will have to replicate his freshman season at the very least. This season may be much tougher for Hillman, due to the loss of star receivers Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson to the NFL. Consequently, the passing game is expected to take a hit, resulting in defenses keying on Hillman.

With the loss of head coach Brady Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges, there has been talk of the offense struggling this season. However, with Rocky Long installed as the head coach, the Aztecs have some continuity.

Additionally, Hillman and Lindley both have gone on record as saying that new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig has kept the offense similar to the same offense Borges ran last year.

In an effort to combat the beating that Hillman will face in the upcoming season, he packed on 16 pounds during the offseason. While some observers may believe that the added weight will slow him down, the reports out of camp are that Hillman is even more explosive than he was last year.

Some media outlets have touted Hillman as a dark horse Heisman candidate, but he still hasn't garnered nearly enough love from the media.

Hillman will continue to fly under the radar until September 24. San Diego State's matchup against Michigan on September 24 features a great storyline: SDSU facing off against their former coach, Brady Hoke.

The game against Michigan will be Hillman's opportunity to show the country how talented he is. Unfortunately, Hoke knows better than anyone just how great Hillman is. Hoke will try his best to contain Hillman, but Hillman will likely be too amped up for the game to let the Michigan defense stop him.

The Michigan game should serve as a springboard to superstar status for Ronnie Hillman. Once the country sees Hillman's 4.39 40 speed, power and elusiveness in action against Michigan, he will finally get the attention that he deserves.