FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — The Fresno State Bulldogs (1-1) hit the road Saturday, Sept. 19, to face their oldest rival San Jose State (2-1) in hopes of keeping the Valley Trophy for a third straight year.
“The trophy will be at practice every day, so we just continually remind our kids what’s up for grabs,” said Fresno State head coach Matt Entz. “Winning bright, shiny objects is a cool thing in college football, so it’s our goal to go into the game, be as competitive as we can, and hopefully bring that thing home with us.”
The Valley Trophy is a giant silver “V” that has one half decorated with tech grids, honoring Silicon Valley, and the other half decorated with vines and leaves, representing the San Joaquin Valley.
The trophy was introduced in 2013, yet the history between the Bulldogs and Spartans dates back to 1921. Saturday will be the 89th meeting between the football programs.
Only twice in the past three decades have Fresno State and San Jose State not played each other in a season, including a scheduled 2020 meeting canceled due to COVID-19.
The rivals migrated together from the Big West to the WAC to the Mountain West. However, with Fresno State’s move to the PAC-12 and San Jose State staying put, this will be the first non-conference matchup between the schools since 1994 – two years before the Spartans joined the Bulldogs in the WAC.
Kickoff from CEFCU Stadium is slated for 8 p.m. PT Saturday on nationally-televised FS1. Fresno State is a 7.5-point favorite.