WAC rundown Week 4

No. 21 Missouri (3-0) @ Nevada (0-2)
Friday, 6 p.m., ESPN
Last week: Colorado State 35, Nevada 20
Getting shut out at Notre Dame was one thing, but a double-digit loss at Colorado State after a bye week must have the Wolf Pack questioning things. Missouri smoked Nevad 69-17 a year ago, and should win again, but it'll be closer in Reno.
Prediction: Missouri

Fresno State (1-2, 0-1) @ No. 14 Cincinnati (3-0, 1-0)
Saturday, 9 a.m., ESPN Regional/Bulldog Sports Network
Last week: No. 10 Boise State 51, Fresno State 34
A 1-3 start for a Bulldogs team this talented would be heartbreaking, but this Bearcats squad is determined to have its best season ever and has a flatout prolific offense. Weather permitting, it could turn into a high-scoring affair similar to Fresno State's game last week, but if it rains hard enough the edge swings greatly in Fresno State's advantage with its running game. Otherwise, the Bearcats' offense is built to deconstruct the Bulldogs' defense with the spread passing attack.
Prediction: Cincinnati

Idaho (2-1, 1-0) @ Northern Illinois (2-1)
Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Comcast/ESPN Gameplan
Last week: Idaho 34, San Diego State 20
Wow, would ya look at the Vandals? They surprised last week with a two-score win over the Aztecs, and now it's not unreasonable they could improve to 3-1 with a win this week. But the Huskies are coming off a 28-21 win at Purdue, and almost came back at Wisconsin in the opener. With home field, they get the edge. Plus, Idaho has reached its win quote for the next two years.
Prediction: Northern Illinois

No. 8 Boise State (3-0, 1-0) @ Bowling Green (1-2)
Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPN Gameplan
Last week: Boise State 51, Fresno State 34
Even without running back D.J. Harper, who was lost for the year with a knee injury, the Broncos are going to run away with this one. The tough travel hype in the media all week is nonsense. The Falcons' offense doesn't present near the challenge Fresno State's did.
Prediction: Boise State

Southern Utah (1-2) @ Utah State (0-2)
Saturday, 5 p.m.
Last week: Texas A&M 38, Utah State 30
Close losses to Texas A&M and Utah early in the season makes Utah State seem like a team on the verge of competing in the WAC -- just not this year. Still, playing an FCS team will get the Aggies in the win column.
Prediction: Utah State

Cal Poly (1-1) @ San Jose State (0-3)
Saturday, 5 p.m.
Last week: Stanford 42, San Jose State 17
The Spartans have had a rough early go of it with losses to USC, Utah and Stanford, but as long as their spirits aren't crushed they're too talented to lose to even a strong FCS program like Cal Poly's. Many questions remain to be answered about the Spartans' offense, and it'll be interesting to see if they figure them out this week?
Prediction: San Jose State

New Mexico State (1-2, 0-1) @ New Mexico (0-3, 0-1)
Saturday, 7 p.m.
Last week: UTEP 38, New Mexico State 12
New Mexico State is just bad. And so is New Mexico. The Lobos haven't come close against Texas A&M, Air Force or Tulsa. But it would still be a stunner if the Aggies beat anyone in the FBS, let alone a Mountain West team.
Prediction: New Mexico

Byes:
Hawaii
Last week: UNLV 34, Hawaii 33

Louisiana Tech
Last week: Louisiana tech 48, Nicholls State 13

Cal Poly wanna a clue?

"What the heck is this junk?"

The quotes represent the thought that immediately popped into (or out of?) my head when I read this story from the San Luis Obispo Tribune. It starts like this:

John Madden’s deepest desire for the Cal Poly football program has long been to
see it return to regularly playing and upsetting well-known California schools —
namely Fresno State, San Jose State and San Diego State — like it did when he
was a lineman for the Mustangs in 1957 and 1958.

Excuse me? Regularly beat Fresno State? Not in my lifetime.

First of all, the two teams did meet in '57 and '58, each winning once. Second of all, what qualifies as regularly? Fresno State is 30-10-2 against Cal Poly all-time. But the Mustangs have pulled off no such feat since Fresno State moved up to Division 1-A in 1980. Since '80, Fresno State is 5-0 against Cal Poly, with a combined total score of:
Bulldogs 160
Mustangs 48

Cal Poly did pretty much own the 'Dogs in the '70s but the difference between then and now with the Fresno State program is nothing short of enormous. Is anyone out there looking forward to the rebirth of the Cal Poly series in '010 at Bulldog Stadium?

And the next Cal Poly head coach is...

...not John Baxter.

According to this breaking story from the SLO Tribune, it's Tim Walsh, the former Army offensive coordinator. You can also see more info on the annoucnement on the Cal Poly blog.

So what do you think Bulldog Bouncers? Good news for the 'Dogs that Baxter is remaining special teams coach? Or bad news considering the sub-par year and lack of adjustments fans saw from the special teams unit last season?

Is John Baxter for real?

Amid rumors Fresno State special teams coach John Baxter (the mastermind behind the Academic Gameplan that has helped Fresno State's football program become one of the nation's most sound academically) is a finalist for the Cal Poly job, Baxter told the SLO Tribune he's not interested.

True? Hopefully, for honesty's sake, but it's a bit of an uneasy feeling for Red Wavers who heard Pat Hill deny that Washington had contacted him about its vacancy after the Boise State game, only to be interviewing in Seattle the next day.

Bouncing around the headlines

In a new feature I'd like to start -- and in playing along with the Bulldog Bounce theme -- let's bounce around some of the biggest Fresno State headlines this week:

Huge news on the diamond is 2nd-round pick Tanner Scheppers, Fresno State's best pitcher (who didn't even get to play in the postseason because of a shoulder injury), didn't sign with the Pirates before yesterday's deadline and now could start talk of a repeat College World Series run for the Diamond 'Dogs if he returns next season.

Scheppers' teammate Justin Wilson (5th rounder), who pitched the Diamond 'Dogs to the national title, did sign with the Pirates. So the 'Dogs plucked Clovis East product Cody Kendall from Fresno Pacific as his replacement for '09.

Seriously though, what's the deal with the overkill of stories mentioning Beau Sweeney, who smeared the infamous Fresno State family's name by signing with Cal? The Bee just can't stop brining him up.

A new San Luis Obispo Tribune blog noticed Pat Hill's comments about Cal Poly possibly one day joining the WAC. Makes for cheaper travel than La Tech, but c'mon Coach Hill, then we wouldn't be the only D1 football program in the Valley!

For the first time all year, there was a non-boring play in an NFL preseason game. And it was Fresno State's Richard Marshall picking off a fake field goal trickery pass and burning 78 yards for a TD. Brings back this memory of last season -- one of the most bittersweet NFL moments I've ever witnessed (from one 'Dog to another). P.S. Marshall is the best corner in school history.

And just as one additional reminder why I no longer subscribe to Sports Illustrated, the mag released its college football preview, listed the top 20 (no Fresno State) and then broke it down conference by conference. One problem - after listing the six BCS conferences, it lists the coalition conferences as, "The Rest" and jumbles everything into a few sentences. That's weak SI, and so was not putting the 2008 College World Series champs on your cover.

What did I miss? Just leave a comment with your own recent Fresno State links...