Aztecs Turn Down Chance to Play Ball Down Under

The San Diego State football team won’t be putting any shrimp on the barbecue next season.

The Aztecs and the University of Hawaii had explored the possibility of playing their Nov. 30th game in Melbourne, Australia, instead of in Honolulu.

That plan was nixed Thursday.

In order to play the game in Australia, the Aztecs needed to obtain a waiver from the NCAA stating they could play their 12th game of the season somewhere else than Hawaii.

Bylaw 3-3-d of the NCAA manual states that a team may play an extra game, in addition to the 11 normally scheduled, if it plays a Hawaiian institution in Hawaii.

Aztec athletic director Mary Alice Hill said SDSU could go to Australia this year if it dropped a game. However, she said they will honor all 12 contracts.

The Aztecs are scheduled to play eight Western Athletic Conference games and nonconference games against UCLA, Stanford, Oregon and Cal State Long Beach.

“The NCAA decided we would have to go through the normal procedures for amending the bylaws,” Hill said, “and doing that would have taken at least a year. Obviously, we’re disappointed. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort trying to put this thing together.

“We thought it would be a good experience for our players, our coaches and everyone involved with the program. We’re still in contact with the Australian promoters, and hopefully, we can make the trip next year.”