San Diego State coach Sean Lewis periodically mentions the 12 days on the calendar in which SDSU has a game and how special it is to have those opportunities.

Hundreds of hours in the weight room, the classroom and the practice field are all dedicated to those dozen days. Do well enough in those moments, and you get another game day together.

Say what you will about the proliferation of bowl games and their significance, but they mean a great deal to players and coaches who have bonded over a common purpose.

“When we first got together and training camp started, we didn’t know if we would be sitting here together to have another opportunity, a 13th game to play,” said Lewis, who guided the Aztecs to a 9-3 regular-season record. “Selfishly, that’s really exciting for me, just more time a

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