Fresno State and the BCS

I was talking with a guy at work about how the last 2 years we've seen 2 teams from the WAC play in a BCS game (Boise State and now Hawaii). Since I moved to Fresno and started going to Fresno State, it has been publicly stated by Pat Hill that his goal is to crack the BCS. I think he probably wanted to be the first school from a non-BCS conference to do it, but he's way too late now. But the goal's still there.

But what does Fresno State need to do to make it? Their best chance was with David Carr, he took them to #8, beating Colorado, Oregon State, Wisconsin and Colorado State. But what happened? A mid-season slide losing to else but Boise State and Hawaii. This is a great example of Fresno State athletics, they tease you, get your hopes up, then let you down in the end.

So now that I've gotten off topic, what does Fresno State need to do to make it to the big time? The running game is strong, so they need to keep doing what they're doing there. The defense could use some bolstering, but really any team could say that. We decided that the key spot Fresno State needs to bolster is the quarterback position. I know it's obvious, every team needs a quarterback! But what they need is someone who is going to make opposing teams nervous. I don't think the current quarterback is doing that. What they need is someone who can walk in as a freshman and be the best quarterback the team has. Let him play, let him struggle early on, let him learn. Continue to play big schools, don't worry about the loss, look to the future.

The reason I think like this is Paul Pinegar. He started at quarterback for 4 years. Early in his career he played some big games, losing on the road to Tennessee and Oklahoma. But later in his career he learned how to play the big games, beating #18 Virginia in the MPC Computers Bowl. And in probably the biggest game of his career, he took #1 USC down to the very end of the game.

Basically what we're looking for out of Fresno State football is for them to continue to play the big games, get that exposure and that experience. Get a good quarterback, someone who can learn early on, and truly frighten other teams. Win the WAC! Sure, you can play with the big boys, but Fresno State isn't even winning their own division games. All-in-all, they need more consistency.