Fresno State gets rival Boise State up front, and a break, in Mountain West schedule

Fresno State has a ton of offense returning this football season with quarterback Jake Haener, running back Jordan Mims and wideouts Jalen Cropper and Josh Kelly all back from a group that last season led the Mountain West Conference in total yards per game and was second in scoring.

As it turns out, the Bulldogs also will have a fairly favorable schedule and a crucial break against a heated rival to try to get back to the conference championship game for the first time since 2018, when they took home the title with an overtime win at Boise State.

The Bulldogs’ biggest test will come right up front, opening conference play at Boise State on Oct. 8, according to conference schedules released on Wednesday.

They then will play San Jose State at Bulldog Stadium on Oct. 15, at New Mexico on Oct. 22, San Diego State at home on Oct. 19 and Hawaii at home on Nov. 5, then at UNLV on Nov. 12 and at Nevada on Nov. 19. They will close the regular season against Wyoming at Bulldog Stadium on Nov. 26.

Fresno State opens the season at Bulldog Stadium against FCS Cal Poly on Sept. 3, then plays Oregon State at home on Sept. 10. A date at USC follows on Sept. 17, and the Bulldogs will have a bye week before closing out the non-conference schedule at UConn on Oct. 1 to close out a home-and-home series.

The dates of some games could be moved to accommodate television broadcasts by CBS Sports and FOX Sports.

But in conference play Fresno State will catch arch-nemesis Boise State in a much better spot than in past games in the series — and the Bulldogs’ back-to-back conference road games in November both are short trips against West Division opponents, which are not insignificant stops in the schedule.

When Fresno State lost at Boise State in 2018, the Bulldogs were playing for a seventh week in a row and the Broncos were their third conference road game in four weeks. The Broncos were playing a seventh game in as many weeks as well, but they also were playing a third home game in four weeks.

When the Bulldogs lost at Boise State in 2014, they were playing an eighth week in a row and a third conference road game in four weeks. The Broncos were coming off a bye week.

Fresno State also was playing a third road game in four weeks when playing at Boise State in 2012.

When Fresno State got drilled 40-14 last season at Bulldog Stadium, it was playing a fourth week in a row and coming off high-voltage divisional matchups against Nevada and at San Diego State, both victories over teams that were picked to finish ahead of the Bulldogs in the conference’s preseason poll. The Broncos were playing a second consecutive conference road game, but also a second game off a bye week.

Run of tough matchups vs. rival ends in ‘22

And in 2017, when the Bulldogs knocked off Boise State 28-17 on the way to the conference title game, they were playing a ninth week in a row and coming off long-distance travel, back-to-back road games at Hawaii and at Wyoming. Boise State had been alternating home and road games for five weeks.

The Bulldogs’ biggest issue in those losses to Boise State wasn’t the schedule, but matching the Broncos’ physicality and execution. Landing a more favorable spot in the schedule can’t hurt, though, as coach Jeff Tedford makes his return to his alma mater after stepping away following the 2019 season due to heart-related health issues.

The cross-country trip to UConn will be difficult, but while the Huskies figure to improve under new coach Jim Mora they still are coming off a 1-11 season in which they averaged 15.6 points per game while allowing 38.5.

The Bulldogs’ game at Boise State this fall will be their fifth of the season, and their second off of a bye week.

For the Broncos, it will be their sixth game in a row, and they will be coming off what is expected to be a tough home Mountain West matchup against San Diego State.

Fresno State also has had back-to-back conference road games in past seasons that included a Mountain Division opponent, most notably in that 2017 season.

The Bulldogs traveled more than 6,600 miles to play at Hawaii and then at Wyoming and there was a difference of nearly 50 degrees in game time temperatures – it was 76 degrees at Hawaii, 27 at Wyoming.

UNLV and Nevada back-to-back, obviously, are much less taxing road trips.

Fresno State 2022 football schedule

Sept. 3 – Cal Poly

Sept. 10 – Oregon State

Sept. 17 – at USC

Sept. 24 – bye

Oct. 1 – at UConn

Oct. 8 – at Boise State

Oct. 15 – San Jose State

Oct. 22 – at New Mexico

Oct. 29 – San Diego State

Nov. 5 – Hawaii

Nov. 12 – at UNLV

Nov. 19 – at Nevada

Nov. 26 – Wyoming

This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 1:03 PM.