Boise State to open Pac-12 road play against archrival and College Football Playoff contender Fresno State

Boise State’s toughest opponent in Year 1 of the new Pac-12 could very well be its first conference road trip to archrival Fresno State.

The Bulldogs finished 9-4 overall last season in head coach Matt Entz’s first year at the helm, including a 30-7 beatdown of the Broncos on The Blue at Albertsons Stadium. Fresno State knocked out Boise State starting quarterback Maddux Madsen and rode their stingy defense to a third straight victory in the Milk Can Game.

In the latest odds from DraftKings, the Bulldogs are +650 to win the Pac-12 and +5000 to make the College Football Playoff.

If the Bulldogs take down Boise State on Oct. 10, they will be well on their way to securing a CFP bid for the first time in program history.

Game 6: Boise State at Fresno State

Date: Saturday, Oct. 10

Kickoff time: 8:30 p.m. Mountain time

Location: Valley Children’s Stadium | Fresno, California

TV/Streaming: The CW

Fresno State offense preview

The Bulldogs’ passing offense was largely a disaster last year with E.J. Warner and Carson Conklin at quarterback, ranking No. 110 nationally at 183.4 team passing yards per game. Both ineffective quarterbacks have moved on, and one of the top storylines in Fresno State fall camp has been the quarterback competition between Maryland transfer Khristian Martin and fourth-year junior Jayden Mandal.

Martin appeared in five games for Maryland last season and has a big arm. Mandal missed all of 2025 due to injury but played in six games during the 2024 season.

The Bulldogs’ running game should remain strong with productive backs Rayshon Luke, Bryson Donelson and Brandon Ramirez all returning. Leading receiver Josiah Freeman is also back for his final college season.

Fresno State has three starters to replace on an offensive line unit that controlled the line of scrimmage against most opponents last year.

Fresno State defense preview

Defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto put together a unit that ranked among the nation’s best in several categories a season ago, including total defense (No. 10 nationally, 286 yards allowed per game), pass defense (No. 2, 154 yards allowed per game) and turnovers forced (No. 7, 26 total).

The defensive front returns several contributors and boasts a pair of potential impact transfers in Dylan Hampsten (Sacramento State) and Maverick Noonan (Nebraska).

Star cornerbacks Jakari Embry and Al’zillion Hamilton have moved on, but the secondary should still be a strength with safety Simeon Harris as the anchor. Harris led the MWC with five interceptions last season.

With Benedetto calling the shots, the Bulldogs should remain an elite defensive outfit in 2026.

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