Utah State has to cancel due to coronavirus. Could that have an impact on Fresno State?

The Mountain West Conference has canceled the football game between Utah State and Wyoming scheduled for Thursday due to an increase in COVID-19 cases within the Aggies’ program, and in the wake of that move focus shifts toward Fresno State.

The Bulldogs beat Utah State 35-16 last week at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah, a game which was played with Utah under a state of emergency order by Gov. Gary R. Herbert due to a surge in coronavirus cases and to address overcrowding at hospitals in the state.

Through Wednesday, the Bulldogs’ football players, coaches and staff have been tested twice since returning from the road trip to Utah State and there have been no positives, according to an athletics department spokesman.

The third weekly COVID-19 tests that are part of the conference’s protocols will be administered on Thursday.

“We’re doing a great job with our athletics department as far as testing,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said, on a weekly media video call.

Mountain West COVID-19 cancellations

The Mountain West is providing players, coaches, trainers and on-field personnel three COVID-19 antigen tests per week, the costs covered by the conference from a reserve fund.

UNLV also is unable to travel to Colorado State for its game on Saturday, due to positive COVID-19 tests and the resulting contact tracing. The UNLV-Colorado State and Utah State-Wyoming games are the fourth and fifth involving a Mountain West team that have been canceled due to the coronavirus – Colorado State-New Mexico, Army-Air Force and Wyoming-Air Force also have been canceled.

New Mexico in addition has had to move two home games due to the number of COVID-19 cases in Bernalillo County (where Albuquerque is located) and state health protocols and guidelines, playing Nevada at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas and San Jose State at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose.

Fresno State is scheduled to play its final regular-season game at New Mexico.

Across college football, already this week a number of games have been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus including Ole Miss at No. 5 Texas A&M, which was postponed due to a continued quarantine within the Texas A&M program.

Central Arkansas at Louisiana canceled on Wednesday, and Navy at South Florida was postponed. Wake Forest at Duke also was canceled. The game between Utah State and Wyoming has been declared a no-contest by the conference and will not be rescheduled.

Next for Bulldogs

Fresno State will play San Jose State on Saturday at Bulldog Stadium with a 4 p.m. kickoff. No fans are allowed; it will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 1:16 PM.