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Reputation:95
Level:Superstar
Since:Jun 1, 2007
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But only once, in the past 14 meetings has Fresno State lost to San Jose State
The point wasn't that you lost to San Jose St every year, just that you lost to teams like San Jose St every year, ie schools that outside of the WAC very few people even know field football teams.
Has Hill's policy garnered some respect? Yes. People now respect Fresno as a school that's always capable of pulling an upset. But if you dig deeper, that's a starting point, not an ending point, for the respect you want. The respect you want is that of being the favored team. If your occasional upsets had been coupled with at least consistantly winning the WAC, not a very good conference in the eyes of most college football fans. So there's the stigma. How on earth could a BCS lose, or even almost lose, to a team that can't even win the WAC?
But here's what I'm trying to say. When there's no longer a stigma for losing to Fresno, you'll have the respect you want, the respect of people who actually believe you to be a good team. You've had a decent run against BCS schools, but your program hasn't fully benefited from it like it should have.
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Reputation:75
Level:Pro
Since:Mar 28, 2008
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Yeah I think that we will start the 2008 season in the rankings problably 25th. I hope that we can win our first three games and move up. The only way that we can make that big run is that we have to keep Kansas State on the schedule or if they pull out We need to get a big team to take there spot. Thats the only way we make a big run. Hopefully the schedule remains in tact and that next year will finnnnnaly be the year we can celebrate. I'm excited.
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Jun 17, 2008
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Is this thread still active?
I am happy to see the Dogs rnked in many nationl polls. I haven't checked foxsports.com yet, mostly becuse they seem to be very anti-Dog. This is probably their strongest SOS since 2001, and they started out grat that year. I hope this year they learn from all the mistakes of the past and go undefeated. It's an exciting year to be a Bulldog fan!!!
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Apr 3, 2008
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I beg to differ. In case you have not noticed BSU has been a pretty good team, and has been much of the thorn in the side. They beat Oklahoma in thier bowl a couple years ago. That is playing at a high level of competition my friend. I respect your observation though and can explain 2005 (when we did whip Boise). You see, FS went to Oregon that year....and gave them every bit they could handle, probably should have won the game considering a costly error by the officiating crew (PAC 10 officials) ....BUT......while ranked # 16 with that loss FS went to USC on the road against winners of 30+ games in a row, winners of back to back NC, and winner of the last 43 out of 44 games....Fresno played thier hearts out (check out the highlights on youtube.com) in an emotional game..........that left me depressed for a few months.......to come up short.......the game should have boosted their ranking even with a loss...........they lossed the last three games that season .....LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE......WHAT MATTERS.......A WAC TITLE........OR WHIPPING, MAYBE, THE BEST DINASTY COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME ON THIER HOME TURF? WHAT MATTERS AFTER THAT......A WAC TITLE.........MMMM.....NOTHING MATTERS AFTER THAT FRIEND, NOT ANOTHER GAME OF FOOTBALL.
So, if you measure the success of a football team in WAC titles, you should rethink. Like this years Fresno State baseball team.....which by the way HAMMERED MWC Rice 17-5 at the College World Series........that must make the MWC the worst conference in NCAA...mmmm....I don't think so. The biggest mistake I see everyone make time and time again is saying this team sucks, or that team sucks....SO COMMON, IN THE NCAA, ATHLETES COME AND GO, EVERY YEAR YOU HAVE A NEW TEAM? ITS NOT THE SAME TEAMS, SAME PLAYERS YEAR IN YEAR OUT? THAT IS WHY THIS YEARS FRESNO STATE TEAM COULD WHIP ANY MWC TEAM THIS SEASON (2008), BUT IM SURE COULD'NT BEAT THE BOTTOM MWC TEAM NEXT YEAR........I DON'T WATCH PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, BECUASE THE LURE OF WATCHING TEAMS GROW AND KNOWING WHEN THEY ARE IN THE MATURE CYCLE HAS ME PICKING THE WINNERS AT BODOG BABY.
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Apr 3, 2008
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I HOPE THIS YEAR WE WIN THE WAC AND THE ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE GAMES BABY.......AND WIN A GOOD BOWL.......YOU KNOW, LIKE THE BOWL WE KILLED USC IN, ONE LIKE THAT.
FRESNO STATE FACT: Did you know Fresno State has a 1000. winning percentage against USC in bowl games. 1-0 I don't think USC could win a bowl game against Fresno State.
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Jun 17, 2008
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Well, I don't dispute the facts, but teams ebb and flow with the graduation of seniors and new freshman classes coming in and that was a very different USC team. USC had been quite strong through the '80s, but was in sort of a decline with an aging Larry Smith at the helm in the early '90s. The year previous to when Fresno beat them, they went 3-8, and they were just 8-5 the following season. The 6-5-1 team Fresno beat was not one typical of USC.
In Smith's obituary, it read: "Smith, who also coached at Tulane, Arizona and Missouri universities, guided USC to Pacific 10 Conference championships and Rose Bowl berths in each of his first three seasons in Los Angeles. But the Ohio native probably is best remembered by unforgiving fans as the coach who presided over the Trojans' football fortunes in 1992, when USC lost to upstart Fresno State in the now-defunct Freedom Bowl.
Smith, seemingly repudiating the Trojans' storied football heritage, further inflamed longtime USC followers when he said: "Names and logos don't mean anything. You don't beat someone just because of your name and logo."
Within days of the Fresno State loss, Smith was fired with three years left on his contract."
Prior to Smith's arrival, former USC head coach, and Los Angeles Rams head coach John Robinson was at the helm, and he was widely criticized of high profile coaching mistakes and poor recruiting.
It was only after Pete Carroll took over that USC resurged and enjoyed the successes of previous glory years. Fresno State just happened to beat them on a down cycle. Now, the expression any given Sunday, or in this case, on any given Saturday one team can beat another. Whether they could do it with consistency is another.
I think Fresno State could beat USC, given their high profile performance in '05. I think if they played this year, they would have a shot, but I would still put the odds in the favor of USC. They out-recruit Fresno on name-brand recognition alone. They have access to better training equipment and conditioning, without making due. That's a Pat Hill trademark, though.
Pat Hill doesn't want air conditioning in the training or locker rooms. He doesn't want his players sitting in whirlpool baths after practice. He wants his guys to be tougher and accomplish more with less. It's not that the standards or facilities at Fresno are substandard. Hill has removed items to make his team meaner and wi | |
