Fresno State

5-3

Program prestige

Zeitgeist statureNational Program III
▲ Fresno State's standing rose 0.82 points (+2.31 sd — the 2nd-largest rise of 138 teams) after beating Oregon State 38-22: the 2nd-most valuable win of the 56 teams that won.
#73 all-time– holding
one line from National Program II

Stature and coaches, 1969–2026

The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.

Fresno State is National Program today. Never reached Dynasty tier; National Program is its high, most recently in 2026.

1969: Regional Program1970: Regional Program1971: Regional Program1972: Regional Program1973: Regional Program1974: Regional Program1975: Regional Program1976: Regional Program1977: Regional Program1978: Regional Program1979: Regional Program1980: Regional Program1981: Regional Program1982: Regional Program1983: Regional Program1984: Regional Program1985: Regional Program1986: National Program1987: National Program1988: National Program1989: National Program1990: National Program1991: National Program1992: National Program1993: National Program1994: National Program1995: National Program1996: National Program1997: National Program1998: National Program1999: National Program2000: National Program2001: National Program2002: National Program2003: National Program2004: National Program2005: National Program2006: National Program2007: National Program2008: National Program2009: National Program2010: National Program2011: Regional Program2012: National Program2013: National Program2014: National Program2015: Regional Program2016: Regional Program2017: Regional Program2018: National Program2019: National Program2020: Regional Program2021: National Program2022: National Program2023: National Program2024: National Program2025: National Program2026: National Program198020002020
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
FBS medianbest: 1993program stature (★ = Dynasty-tier season)logosLogo, 1953–19751953Logo, 1976–19801976Logo, 1981–20051981Logo, 2006–20152006Logo, 2016–20192016Today's logo, since 2020since 2020Darryl Rogers · 1969–1972RogersJ.R. Boone · 1973–1975BooneJim Sweeney · 1976–1977Bob Padilla · 1978–1979Jim Sweeney · 1980–1996SweeneyPat Hill · 1997–2011HillTim DeRuyter · 2012–2016DeRuyterEric Kiesau · 2016Jeff Tedford · 2017–2019TedfordKalen DeBoer · 2020–2021Lee Marks · 2021Jeff Tedford · 2022–2023Tim Skipper · 2024Matt Entz · 2025–now197019902010

Run↔pass identity, by season

No play-by-play coverage before 2004more passmore run200420062008201020122014201620182020202220242026

Every coach, tenure by tenure, on the coaching page →

Program outlook

Program outlook

For fifteen years, Pat Hill's Bulldogs drove into anybody's stadium and dared the blue bloods to schedule them back. In 2026, Fresno State joins the Pac-12 — and the dare finally has an answer.

Since Oct 28: W 38-22 vs Oregon State. 5-3 this season.

Read the full essay — 4 more paragraphs

Fresno State built its entire identity on a four-word philosophy: Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. Pat Hill didn't just say it — he meant it, loading the Bulldogs on buses to hostile road environments and winning enough of them to make the Valley a genuine threat on the national schedule. David Carr cracked the top 10 in 2001 and became the first overall NFL pick in 2002. Derek Carr followed two decades later. The Carr pipeline is the clearest evidence that the Central Valley produces NFL quarterbacks at a rate the sport has never fully credited.

After the 2018 Mountain West title under Jeff Tedford — 12-2 and a Las Vegas Bowl win, the program's modern peak — Fresno cooled into several seasons of ordinary results. Matt Entz's first year in 2025 snapped the pattern: 9-4 and an Arizona Bowl win over Miami (OH), the validation that the Valley standard hadn't permanently slipped. Entz enters 2026 with the program restored and a historic upgrade locked in: Fresno State leaves the Mountain West for the Pac-12, playing its first power-conference season with an opener at USC.

The Pac-12 chapter is the question 2026 will answer — not whether Fresno belongs (the Pat Hill era settled that argument for anyone who watched) but whether a first-year power-conference program can compete for a league title immediately or needs a transitional season first. 'Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere' has a new venue. The Valley will find out if the giants can still be had.

Update (Oct. 28, 2026): Fresno State is 4-3. It lost 39-0 at USC on Sept. 4, 38-31 to Boise State on Oct. 10, and 26-23 at San Diego State on Oct. 17. The Oct. 17 loss to San Diego State came as a 6.5-point favorite.

On the field

Physical, run-first football with a quarterback capable of beating you through the air — the Carr brothers set the template and Fresno has never fully abandoned it. Under Entz the Bulldogs run a pro-style spread that prioritizes the run game and play-action, with an offensive line identity inherited from decades of Valley football that values downhill toughness over space-creation. The chip is the scheme: 'Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere' is not a slogan in Fresno, it's a blocking mentality.

Program outlook · as of Oct 28, 2026

Fresno State has won 56% of its games since 1926 — 67% at home, 44% on the road.

436-340-6 all-time · 97 seasons · 1926–2026

Home 255-121-3
Away 166-206-3
Neutral 15-13
4 g 1920s
29% 1930s
28% 1940s
29% 1950s
61% 1960s
46% 1970s
70% 1980s
57% 1990s
62% 2000s
52% 2010s
65% 2020s
The era · 2014 through 2026

The CFP era

13 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.

Era record 88-70 13 seasons
Best season 12-2 2018
Trajectory · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program quality AP rank (inverted) CFP appearance
'14'16'18'20'22'24Now

Swipe left for earlier seasons

Chapters · 13 seasons · tap to open the archive
'14 6-8 '15 3-9 '16 1-11 '17 10-4 '18 12-2 '19 4-8 '20 — '21 10-3 '22 10-4 '23 9-4 '24 6-7 '25 9-4 '26 5-3

Fresno State’s 2014–2026 record is 88-70.

Era win %
.556
Ranked seasons (AP)
4/13
Best AP finish
#19

Matt Entz

Matt Entz is in year 2. The methodology is taking shape.

Era Matt Entz · 2025–presentPrev: Tim Skipper (interim) (2024)OC: Josh DavisPrev OC: Pat McCann (2023–2024)DC: Nick BenedettoPrev DC: Kevin Coyle (2022–2024)
The full CFP-era story →The full coaching lineage →
2 years · era

Fresno State and Boise State, meeting by meeting

Boise State leads the series 18-10-0 (since 1977); in the last 10 meetings, Fresno State is 5-5

evenFresno State aheadBoise State ahead198020002020

2026: Boise State won 38-31. After this game, Boise State led 18-10-0.

Last 25 meetings: ▲ Fresno State won, ▼ Boise State won, by how much

2001: Boise State won 35-302002: Boise State won 67-212003: Boise State won 31-172004: Boise State won 33-162005: Fresno State won 27-72006: Boise State won 45-212007: Boise State won 34-212008: Boise State won 61-102009: Boise State won 51-342010: Boise State won 51-02011: Boise State won 57-72012: Boise State won 20-102013: Fresno State won 41-402014: Boise State won 37-272014: Boise State won 28-142017: Fresno State won 28-172017: Boise State won 17-142018: Boise State won 24-172018: Fresno State won 19-162021: Boise State won 40-142022: Boise State won 40-202022: Fresno State won 28-162023: Fresno State won 37-302025: Fresno State won 30-72026: Boise State won 38-312008: by 5120012026

Each step is one meeting: up when Fresno State wins, down when Boise State wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1977. Tap the line for any season.

Moments in Fresno State history

On this date, Nov 4, 2023: Fresno State 37, Boise State 30

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

2001 top-10 run

David Carr's Bulldogs beat ranked opponents on the road and crack the top 10 — the 'Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere' apex

2018 Mountain West title

Tedford's 12-2 team wins the conference and the Las Vegas Bowl

The 2025 reset

Matt Entz's first year goes 9-4 with an Arizona Bowl win over Miami (OH) ahead of the Pac-12 move

Moment of the year · 2026

Lost 0-39 at USC

Week 1 of 2026. A reckoning loss — the data point the next season must answer.

Decisive marginvs AP #14
2022–2023

Fresno State has sent 2 players to the NFL Draft since 2022 — none in the first round.

Thin. Roster development still maturing.

2 picks · 0 in round 1
#127 Jake Haener Quarterback · 2023 · New Orleans Saints · #53/140 final season
#167 DaRon Bland Cornerback · 2022 · Dallas Cowboys · #182/321 final season
#76 all-time · 5 first-round picksthe talent factory →

More in this tab

Ladder finishHow far up the ladder this season got.

Season standing · 2026 · 5-3

Fresno State is 5-3 — competitive, unranked, not yet bowl-eligible.

Competitive in FBS but not bowl-eligible — the close-loss tier.

Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
ConferenceWhere this team sits in this season's conference standings.

Pac-12 standing · 2026

4th in the Pac-12

Fresno State sits 4th of 8 in the Pac-12 at 2-2. Mid-conference — moves up or down depend on rivalry results and the late-season closing run.

#ProgramRecord
1Boise State4-0
2Oregon State3-1
3San Diego State3-2
4Fresno State2-2
5Texas State2-2
6Utah State2-2
7Colorado State1-3
8Washington State0-5
Coaching historyCurrent head coach Matt Entz, hired 2025

Coaching history

  • Hired Matt Entz2025
  • Hired Tim Skipper (interim)2024
  • Tim Skipper departs (interim)6-7, 1 season
  • Jeff Tedford departs19-8, 2 seasons
  • Hired Jeff Tedford2022
  • Hired Lee Marks2021
  • Kalen DeBoer departs12-6, 2 seasons
  • Lee Marks departs1-0, 1 season
Coordinator lineageOffense and defense under each coordinator.

Fresno State’s offense and defense, by coordinator

FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.

Offense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2015 · Dave Schramm2016 · Eric Kiesau2017–2018 · Kalen DeBoer2019–2021 · Ryan Grubb2022 · Kirby Moore2023–2024 · Pat McCann2025–2026 · Josh Davis
Defense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2015 · Nick Toth2016 · Lorenzo Ward2017 · Orlondo Steinauer2018–2019 · Bert Watts2020–2021 · William Inge2022–2024 · Kevin Coyle2025–2026 · Nick Benedetto
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

Rituals

Three gameday rituals — the ones outsiders never quite catch.

Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere (Pat Hill Era)

since 1997

more

Pat Hill's 1997-2011 tenure produced the famous 'Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere' scheduling philosophy — Fresno State would play anyone, including P5 powers, on any field, any time. The aggressive non-conference scheduling produced multiple top-25 finishes + multiple bowl wins + the program's national reputation. The philosophy is permanent identity.

Carr Brothers QB Pipeline

since 2002

more

David Carr (1997-2001) + Derek Carr (2009-2013) — brothers both at Fresno State, both first-round NFL draft picks (David #1 overall 2002, Derek #2 in 2014 — second round). The Carr-brothers pipeline + Derek Carr's NCAA passing-yards-per-game record + the QB-development lineage make Fresno State QB U at the G5 level.

Jeff Tedford 2018 Mountain West Championship

since 2018

more

Jeff Tedford's 2018 12-2 + Mountain West championship + Las Vegas Bowl championship (his first year as head coach) is the program's modern peak. The Tedford era's recruiting + competitive cycles continued the Pat Hill ascent narrative. Tedford's 2022 departure to UC opened the next cycle.

Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
BowlsLast 5 bowls 4-1, 15-13 since 1982

Recent postseason (1982-2025): 15-13

Most recent: 2025 Arizona Bowl — win 18-3. Last 5 postseason: 4-1.

2025 W2024 L2023 W2022 W2021 W
Reddit blowupsThe plays that blew up on r/CFB.

r/CFB moments

857
[Postgame Thread] Connecticut Defeats Fresno State 19-14
Oct 2022 · r/CFB
543
[Postgame Thread] Fresno State Defeats Connecticut 45-0
Aug 2021 · r/CFB
442
[Postgame Thread] USC Defeats Fresno State 45-17
Sep 2022 · r/CFB
406
[Postgame Thread] USC Defeats Fresno State 31-23
Sep 2019 · r/CFB

All-time top community posts

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