Oddsmakers see little separating San Diego State and Toledo in Week 4

The Aztecs head to the Glass Bowl looking to end Toledo's eight-game home winning streak

San Diego State Aztecs running back Lucky Sutton (7). | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics.

The San Diego State Aztecs head to the Midwest for their final non-conference game, facing the Toledo Rockets at the Glass Bowl in a matinee showdown that kicks off at noon local/9 a.m. PT.

Coming off a disappointing home loss to James Madison, the Aztecs (1-2) are 2.5-point underdogs against a Toledo team that staged a wild comeback for an overtime victory against Temple to jump to 2-1.

The game will be carried by CBS Sports Network and San Diego Sports 760 radio. 

The Aztecs are +122 on the moneyline while the Rockets are -146. The over-under is 52.5 points.

SDSU running out of time before Pac-12 play

The Aztecs are running out of time to find their identity before their historic Pac-12 opener at home against Texas State on Oct. 3. They’ve started slowly in their last two games, a 28-10 loss against UCLA at the Rose Bowl and then a 26-13 home loss to James Madison.

The Aztecs' offense was a no-show in the first halves of both games. The defense at least played UCLA to a scoreless halftime tie, but then let JMU zoom to a 19-0 halftime lead. Of course, it didn’t help that JMU turned two interceptions by Jaylen Denegal into nine points. 

The Rockets, meanwhile, showed off an explosive offense as they rallied from a 42-28 deficit with less than four minutes to play to force overtime and then win 49-48.

“They are explosive as hell,” said SDSU coach Sean Lewis, who used metaphors from a handful of sports to describe the Rockets. “They got guys that are home run threats all over the yard. You know, the last three minutes and 30 seconds of that game against Temple, they have home run hitters that can touch the paint and touch the end zone at any given moment. 

“So yeah, they're dangerous in a lot of ways.” 

Toledo brings an eight-game home winning streak

The teams are playing for just the second time. The first meeting was on Sept. 24, 2022, when the Aztecs beat the Rockets 17-14 in their first season at Snapdragon Stadium.

Lewis hasn’t given an update on Lucky Sutton’s “lower-body” injury that kept him out of the JMU game. Lewis said it was a game-time decision to sit Sutton after saying days earlier that he would be good to go. 

Sutton’s absence opened the door for sophomore transfer Javion Kinnard to have a monster game. He rushed 33 times for 181 yards and one score, and had an additional 70 yards on four catches. 

Senegal struggled again, throwing two interceptions and just one touchdown. He’s now thrown four interceptions and four TDs in three games. 

Toledo junior quarterback John Alan Richter had career highs with 36 completions, 429 yards passing and four touchdowns in the win against Temple. In the final three drives alone, he was 10 for 15 for 151 yards and two scores. 

The Rockets have won eight straight games at the Glass Bowl, with an average margin of 35.4 points.

San Diego State vs. Toledo odds, TV channel 

Spread: San Diego State +2.5 (+100)

Moneyline: San Diego State +122, Toledo -146

Over/under: 52.5 points (-106)

Game time: 9 a.m. Pacific time | Saturday, Sept. 26

Location: Glass Bowl | Toledo, Ohio

TV channel: CBS Sports Network

Odds are courtesy of FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.