JR’s top 25 - #21 Fresno State

By J.R. Hopwood  |   Wednesday, August 03, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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Head Coach Pat Hill is not scared to face anyone in the NCAA. Some of the Fresno State Bulldogs past opponents include Tennessee, Oklahoma, Colorado, Ohio State and Wisconsin. This year is no different as coach Hill has the Bulldogs are traveling to face USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks. Falling short of a WAC title again last year (they shared the title in '93 and '99) was a back breaker, but Hill has a solid team back for the 2005 run.

Nine starters return from an offense that ranked 5th in scoring last season. Senior quarterback Paul Pinegar is 24-8 as a starter, tossing 54 TDs and throwing for just over 6800 yards. You can pretty much count on Pinegar to be a 59% passer, as he has hovered in that area since his first year. The receiving corps is nearly all back and will be much more experienced. Running back Bryson Sumlin ran for 1104 yards and 13 TDs last year. The offense really does look good but will need to improve their passing numbers from last year, ranking only 95th in the nation.

On defense, the linebacking crew and secondary look to be as good if not better than last year's squad, although it will be hard to better last year's 13th ranked passing defense. The defensive line looks to have a few holes, but if the linebackers can step up they should be alright against the run.

The Fresno State Bulldogs are a top team and could easily win in the WAC. I just feel as though playing the Boise State Broncos right before a trip to USC will be too tough, so I call the Bulldogs my second best team in the WAC.
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