Head Coach: Jeff Tedford is entering year 3 of his second stint, and 6th year total with the program. During this stint he’s 19-8 and has a 45-22 overall record. He stepped away due to health concerns and now Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer stepped in and kept this program in great shape during that time. Tedford did miss the bowl for more health reasons so that’s always a concern, hopefully all will be ok moving forward.
Program Outlook: Fresno State has established themselves as one of the top programs in the Mountain West, you know they will be a factor to win the conference each year. Last season felt like it could be even more, but injuries led to a late season collapse on their way to 9-4. The question is when can they finally have a season great enough to make the playoff? That’s what fans are hoping for next.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: Fresno State has a good amount of experience returning. This includes a majority of the offense back, led by Mikey Keene who is one of the most talented QBs in the conference. In total a lot of key contributors are back for the offense, the main concern is depth at QB. It’s been a few years since a Fresno State QB made it healthy all season and the backups are untested, Fresno State’s losses typically come when they’re down their starting QB. Their defense faces more questions with a little more than half their experience gone and was their downfall at times last year. Fresno State is often selective about their portal usage, only grabbing players at positions they feel they need and that’s where the majority of their incoming transfers are. This transfer group is led by Korey Foreman a former 5 star recruit, it would be huge if Fresno State’s staff can find a way to get the most out of him.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: The path is certainly there. If all goes well, Fresno State could play a competitive game against Michigan and sweep past the rest of the schedule to reach the playoff. There’s a lot of landmines though. Fresno State has to move on from the Michigan game quickly because Sacramento State is a very dangerous FCS opponent, the Hornets have stung their last two FBS foes. The Bulldogs avoid Boise State which is favorable but have to face fellow MWC contenders Air Force and UNLV on the road. UCLA is another opportunity to end the season, it’s nice to see that game scheduled.
Vegas Projection: Fresno State’s win total is set at 7.5 with the odds greatly geared toward the over. The over has a great shot at hitting, but the reward is minimal.
2024 Best Case: Fresno State comes into the season firing on all cylinders, and while facing the defending national champs is a tough task, they are facing a Michigan team that is replacing a lot. Fresno State puts up an out worldly effort and pulls off the stunning upset in primetime. The Bulldogs stay healthy and use the momentum to roll through the rest of their schedule, only UNLV and Air Force provide tests but the Bulldogs pass them. Fresno State concludes the regular season with a dominating victory over UCLA. In the Mountain West championship they face a strong Boise State team in what amounts to a playoff play-in game. Behind an excellent performance from Mikey Keene the Bulldogs take down the Broncos and win the Mountain West to make the playoffs. Best of all, thanks to the impressive record and win over Michigan, Fresno State is rewarded with an 8 seed and a home playoff game against Penn State. Fresno State is still doubted but they manage to handle the Nittany Lions for a remarkable playoff victory, the run ends in the next round against Georgia but Fresno State is the story of the season.
2024 Worst Case: Fresno State isn’t ready for the test ahead, Mikey Keene is hassled and throws picks on the first 3 drives on the way to a blowout loss. Fresno State licks their wounds but isn’t ready for the test that is Sacramento State, Kaiden Bennett torches the Bulldogs defense that’s trying to sort things out and they lose a disaster of a game. Fresno State never truly recovers from the disaster of a start, never once maintaining even a .500 record on their way to a 4-8 season. Tedford decides the game has passed him by and it’s time to hang it up.
Welcome to Updog Sports Talk 
Leave a comment