Fresno State gets a break for first time in five years: no back-to-back MW road games

The Fresno State Bulldogs, fresh off their third Mountain West Conference championship in seven seasons, will go almost one month between home games in 2019, but otherwise have a favorable schedule.

They will open conference play on Oct. 12 at Air Force and play back-to-back home games against UNLV and Colorado State on Oct. 19 and Oct. 26.

The Bulldogs then play at Hawaii on Nov. 2 and return home for a game against Utah State on Nov. 9, which could be a tricky spot. The Aggies last season were 11-2, and the Bulldogs are just 3-2 in their past five games following a long trip to Hawaii.

They close the regular season with games against West Division rivals at San Diego State on Nov. 16, against Nevada on Nov. 23 and at San Jose State on Nov. 30.

Missing: Boise State. The Broncos and Bulldogs split four meetings the past two seasons but miss each other in the conference rotation for the first time since 2015-16. New Mexico is also off Fresno State’s schedule.

The Mountain West on Monday released the first phase of its 2019 football schedule. CBS Sports Network and ESPN next will select games, which could move some games from Saturday to Thursday or Friday. That will be followed by kickoff times and picks for the conference’s regional partners AT&T SportsNet, Stadium and Spectrum Sports.

The Bulldogs in 2019 do not have back-to-back road games in conference play, which they had to do the past five seasons. In 2018 they played at UNLV and then at Boise State, in 2017 at Hawaii and then at Wyoming, in 2016 at Nevada and then at UNLV, in 2015 at San Jose State and at then San Diego State and in 2014 at UNLV and then at Boise State.

They lost the back end of those conference road trips four times.

Fresno State 2019 football schedule

Aug. 31 at USC

Sept. 7 Minnesota

Sept. 14 bye

Sept. 21 Sacramento State

Sept. 28 at New Mexico State

Oct. 5 bye

Oct. 12 at Air Force

Oct. 19 UNLV

Oct. 26 Colorado State

Nov. 2 at Hawaii

Nov. 9 Utah State

Nov. 16 at San Diego State

Nov. 23 Nevada

Nov. 30, at San Jose State