Ron Prince’s decision to drop a 2008 home game against Fresno State left a lot of people puzzled.
It went against the coach’s “Bold and Daring” scheduling philosophy. If he could schedule games with Louisville, Auburn and Miami, then why couldn’t he honor a contract with a Western Athletic Conference team?
Some people might even think the move was embarrassing, especially considering what Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater said during WAC media days earlier this year.
“They’re probably tired of getting whooped by us,” Brandstater said. “I don’t blame them. So I wish them the best. We got the better of them two times in a row.”
In 2004, Fresno State beat the Wildcats 45-21 in Manhattan. Last season, the Bulldogs thumped K-State again, 45-29.
Fresno State also got the better of Rutgers on Monday, 24-7. Maybe Prince knew something everybody else didn’t.
The Bulldogs have a chance to be the Boise State of this year. If they go undefeated, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t crash the BCS party.
But is that all? Should the Bulldogs’ hypothetical, magical season end with a BCS bowl game?
If Fresno can win out and there’s not more than one undefeated or quality one-loss BCS teams at the end of the season, the Bulldogs should play for the national title.
Why not? Fresno State will have three more tough nonconference games and a game with WAC foe Boise State.
In 2006, Boise State went undefeated and beat Oklahoma, 43-42, in the Fiesta Bowl. In 2007, Hawaii won out before losing to Georgia, 41-10, in the Sugar Bowl.
But Fresno State could have them both beat. The toughest nonconference team Boise State played was Oregon State, which finished 10-4 in 2006.
Fresno State plays Wisconsin on Sept. 13 in what many at the school believe will be the biggest game in Bulldog history. After that, Fresno goes on the road to take on Toledo and UCLA.
Some might question the team’s “Anyone, anywhere” mentality, but you have to respect it as well. The Bulldogs are putting it on the line every week.
And that might be Fresno’s biggest problem. With all those losable games on the schedule, it will be nearly impossible for the Bulldogs to remain perfect.
But that’s what makes their season so exciting too. If they run the table and there are no other undefeated or one-loss teams at the end of the year, how can you say anybody deserves a shot at the national title more than they do?
Maybe Fresno State will accomplish its undefeated dream season. Maybe the BCS title game will finally be crashed by a non-BCS conference team.
Maybe Ron Prince knew what he was doing when he ditched the Bulldogs.
Jonathan Garten is a senior in print journalism. Please send comments to sports@spub.ksu.edu.