Well, a Pat Hill coached Bulldog team has done it again. First, Hill teased the Bulldog faithful in 2001 with a magical run that started with huge wins over Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin only to see it end with a loss to Boise State. Then in 2004 he did it to the faithful again. After wins over Washington and Kansas State; the dream season ended with a loss at Louisiana Tech.
2005 has been totally different. Fresno State did not start the season with big wins over Bowl Championship Series teams, but earned a 16th national ranking with consistent play and near wins over Oregon and No. 1 USC. An outright WAC title was theirs for the taking after a huge win over their nemesis Boise State. Well, Hill has teased the Bulldog faithful once again.
After the near win at USC, all Fresno State had to do to win their first ever outright WAC title was to win at Nevada and Louisiana Tech. Could it happen again, can a Hill coached team lose two WAC games and miss out on a "sure" conference title?
All the greatness that was achieved last week has just got down the drain, with the 38-35 loss at Nevada. Fresno State deserves a shot at the Conference USA champ; it has not deserved anything else this year. Hill must have known something, no way, the Liberty takes Fresno State after a loss at Nevada. If the Bulldogs lose next week to Louisiana Tech, they would be shut out of the two WAC bowls and would be hoping for an at-large bid. There is not another big game on the schedule that will redeem Fresno State in the eyes of the country. They will still be the team that can hang with big boys, but can not win a WAC title.
I doubt ticket sales for Memphis are going to increase after the loss to the Wolfpack. The Liberty Bowl will be lucky to get 2,000 fans from Fresno. At least if the bowl game would have been the Emerald in San Francisco, fans could have a change of heart at the last minute and drive up for the game. That is not the case for a destination like Memphis.
There have been many fans that have said, that as long as Pat Hill is the coach of the Bulldogs, they would never win a WAC title. Hill can still win a title next week with a win, but it will not be an outright title, while Boise State has secured their fourth straight conference title.
What does this Bulldog think or feel. I will always support the 'Dogs, but I am fucking disappointed. I hyped this game to fellow college football bloggers and writers across the country to prove Fresno State was a dominant, smashmouth team. Now, I have egg on my face, and will face the wrath of many emails. I felt this team had gotten over the mental hump, wrong! The only thing that is consoling me is the fact that Notre Dame is close to losing its game at Stanford.
If the Irish lose at Stanford coupled with the Bulldogs loss, what does that do to USC's resume?
2 comments:
Fresno State is just disappointing, they will get over the hump and that is why they will never be taken seriously as a team that belongs with the nation's elite because great teams are suppose to win these games (against the Nevadas of the world) in convincing fashion. Fresno State did not do that last night.
they will never get over the hump** (this is for the above error in the first sentence)
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