Aztecs won't say the F-word — Fresno — as they emphasize rivalry game against 'The Team Up North'

Flat-screen TVs in the San Diego State football office and players’ lounge began playing a hype video two weeks ago on a continuous loop.

The video features highlights of SDSU scoring touchdowns and making tackles in various games against Fresno State over the past decade. Sprinkled in among the game action are a dozen shots of The Old Oil Can, the traveling trophy that represents a rivalry that dates back more than a century.

Midway through all the quick cuts, the screen goes blank but for the words “Beat The Team Up North,” a statement repeated at the end of the presentation as well.

The video replays every 90 seconds. That means it plays 960 times a day. It will have been played more than 10,000 times by the time the Aztecs leave Friday afternoon for Saturday’s game in Fresno.

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