Fresno State seeks blue-turf win, big bowl

Even during the years that Fresno State has been a power program in the West, it has never found a way to get the best of Boise State on the blue turf. The only time the Bulldogs have ever beaten the Broncos in Boise, the field was still green.

This may be the best opportunity for the 16th-ranked Bulldogs to finally end their skid when they face Boise State tonight. Fresno State has joined Central Florida and fellow Mountain West Conference member and No. 14 Utah State among the best of the Group of Five teams and the most likely to land in one of the New Year’s Six bowl games.

“I think their team is really good and it’s very loud there and it’s a hostile environment. But the color of the turf, I hope we’re not looking down at the turf,” Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford said.

Taking down the Broncos would provide Fresno State (8-1, 5-0 MWC) with a little bit of redemption for last year’s 17-14 loss to Boise State in the league championship game. More importantly, it would keep the Bulldogs in line for a possible league title-game clash with Utah State, with the winner potentially landing a big-money bowl opportunity should UCF stumble.

Fresno State has thumped its opponents by an average margin of victory of 32.5 points, but the Bulldogs’ nine opponents have a combined record of only 35-49.

Most of the bigger implications involve the Bulldogs, but a win by Boise State (7-2, 4-1), which is New Mexico’s Nov. 16 opponent, would keep the Broncos in line for a home matchup with Utah State in the regular-season finale that could land the Broncos back in the conference title game for the second straight year.