Fresno State rivalry football game moved to Thanksgiving Day and other schedule highlights

Fresno State football fans could have an interesting Thanksgiving this year with over-the-top gluttony fueled by a big win over a heated rival or a distressed lack of appetite caused by … well, a big loss.

The Bulldogs’ final regular-season game at San Jose State has been switched to Thanksgiving Day to accommodate TV, the game to be broadcast on FOX or FS1.

The NFL obviously is on center stage with three Thanksgiving games, including one this season with former Bulldogs quarterback Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders playing the Dallas Cowboys. But the Bulldogs and Spartans are one of two college games scheduled on Thanksgiving at this point – Ole Miss and Mississippi State will play in the Egg Bowl.

A kickoff time for the Bulldogs’ game has not been announced – the start times for games on FOX are determined 12 days, or in some situations six days in advance.

Competitively there is no scheduling advantage for the Bulldogs or the defending Mountain West champion Spartans in a game that could have West Division title implications in the conference – both teams will be coming off byes the week of Nov. 20. But matchups against San Jose State the final week of the regular season have not been kind to the Bulldogs – they lost 17-16 in 2019, won 31-13 in 2018, and lost 16-14 in 2016 and 62-52 in 2013.

That loss in 2013 snapped a 10-game winning streak to start the season and knocked Fresno State from contention for a spot in a New Year’s bowl game.

The Bulldogs will play two other games on the FOX network and two on the Pac-12 Network, which were announced Thursday by the conference.

There is one Friday game, a Sept. 24 home date against UNLV.

There are two games not on national TV, Sept. 11 against Cal Poly and Nov. 13 against New Mexico.

Fresno State has 22 starters returning, nine from an offense that led the Mountain West with 479.3 yards per game.

FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 - UConn, TBD, CBS Sports Network

Sept. 4 - at Oregon, 11 a.m., Pac-12 Network

Sept. 11 - Cal Poly, TBD

Sept. 18 - at UCLA, 7:45 p.m., Pac-12 Network

Sept. 24 - UNLV, 7 p.m., CBSSN

Oct. 2 - at Hawaii, 8 p.m., CBSSN

Oct. 16 - at Wyoming, TBD, FOX, FS1 or FS2

Oct. 23 - Nevada, TBD, FOX, FS1 or FS2

Oct. 30 - at San Diego State, 7:30 p.m., CBSSN

Nov. 6 - Boise State, 4 p.m., CBSSN

Nov. 13 - New Mexico, TBD

Nov. 25 - at San Jose State, TBD, FOX or FS1