By Matthew Gonzalez — Reporter
San Jose State football has gone without the pleasure of having a tiny number next to their name since the 2012 season, when they were ranked No. 21 on the AP poll.
The question that is starting to generate buzz around the SJSU football program:, when will the Spartans finally get back in the top 25?
While an undefeated record always catches the eye of the AP poll panel, what the Spartans have in record, they lack in strength of schedule.
It is common to see programs outside of the power five conferences in college football have trouble getting a spot in the top 25.
While difficult, it is not impossible for a non-power five conference team to become ranked, as Mountain West counterpart Boise State was ranked No. 21 just last week before falling to BYU.
Currently, there are seven teams from non-power five conferences that are ranked and SJSU hopes to make it eight, how will they do it?
Unfortunately, for programs like SJSU who play in a smaller Mountain West, they will more than likely have to win out and go 8-0 to make the top 25 at the end of the season.
The AP poll grants more leniency in terms of loss column to power-five programs, which is harsh but is the reality of college football.
If the Spartans weren’t to win out, they would most definitely have to go 7-1 to even see a possibility at a top 25 spot, and would more than likely have to win key games such as those against Fresno State, Boise State, and Nevada convincingly, which is a tough ask of any team.
In some ways, Spartans fans should be hoping for the prosperity of their Mountain West foes, as the better the record of the team SJSU plays and defeats, the better looking a victory it becomes.
Playing a Mountain West-exclusive schedule this season can potentially hurt the Spartans chances at a spot in the rankings, as most of the resume building wins for non-power five conference programs come in the opening two or three games in which teams such as SJSU play against more solidified programs.
Not all hope is lost in the schedule department for SJSU, but the next few games will be critical for Brent Brennan’s team.
With a victory over San Diego State in their back pocket, and a 4-game winning streak, the Spartans are on a gradual climb upward towards a top 25 spot.
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