Brianna Campbell / Collegian File Photo

Bulldogs will be playing more home games this season, including opening and closing at home

After years of playing under head coach Pat Hill’s mantra – anybody, anytime, anywhere – the efforts made by teams in the past are finally starting to pay off. The Fresno State football team will finally be playing a schedule that is favorable for the ‘Dogs.

For the first time in 16 years, the gridiron ‘Dogs will be playing seven home games, compared to five in the past two years. In addition, the team only has five away games and four that are out of state.

The ‘Dogs will open and close the 2010 season at home against teams from Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conferences. Defending Big East champions, Cincinnati, will be making a trip to Bulldog Stadium on Labor Day Weekend and the Big Ten’s Illinois will pay a visit on Dec. 4 to conclude the 2010 season. The season opener will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

The other nonconference games will include Ole Miss and Cal Poly. The ‘Dogs will be making the trip east to Oxford, Miss., on Sept. 25 to take on the Rebels from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This will mark the first time that the two schools will play.

Cal Poly is slated to make an appearance at Bulldog Stadium on Oct. 2. Cal Poly, from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) has not played the ‘Dogs in 25 years.

The ‘Dogs will start Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play when it travels to Utah State after the team’s bye on Sept. 18. In October, the ‘Dogs will host Hawaii and New Mexico State in back-to-back WAC games at Bulldog Stadium. Homecoming is scheduled for the New Mexico State game.

The team will then travel to San Jose State on Oct. 23 to take on its in-state rival. After the team’s second bye, the ‘Dogs will travel to Ruston, La., to take part in the annual Battle for the Bone against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Nov. 6.

The ‘Dogs then come home to host Nevada on Nov. 13. The last road trip will be made on Nov. 19, when the team travels to the blue turf to take on the defending WAC and Fiesta Bowl champions Boise State. The game is set to be nationally televised on ESPN2.

The ‘Dogs will finish WAC play when it closes out the conference season against Idaho at home on Nov. 27.

All home games are scheduled to have a 7 p.m. kickoff or later.