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The Fresno State Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start to the season as they gear up for league play. The Mountain West Conference member has pulled off a pair of wins over Power Five programs, putting them just outside the latest AP Top 25.
Making the start to the season even sweeter, the Bulldogs have been paid handsomely for their two road trips. Fresno State has reportedly brought in nearly $2.5 million to beat those Power Five schools on their home fields.
Fresno State got paid $2.45 million to go on the road to beat Purdue and Arizona State.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 17, 2023
The Bulldogs got things started in 2023 with a huge upset over Purdue, winning 39-35. In that matchup, Fresno State overcame a two-score second half deficit, scoring in the final minute to take the lead.
They were paid $1.35 million to take the Boilermakers down in Indiana.
Two weeks later, the Bulldogs dominated Arizona State, shutting the Sun Devils out 29-0 in Tempe. They landed a $1.1 million paycheck for that beatdown.
It’s become a trend of late to see these Group of Five schools take down traditional Power Five programs. Last year, Notre Dame and Texas A&M paid to be embarrassed in front of their home crowds by Marshall and App State, respectively.
This year, we’ve already seen Oklahoma State pay $300,000 to get blasted by South Alabama.
Fresno State is not new to this type of success. They’ve won 10 games or more in four of the last six seasons, and have seen players like Derek Carr, Davante Adams, Ryan Matthews, and Logan Mankins come through the program.
Just last year, they took down Washington State in the LA Bowl. The year prior, they beat UCLA and hung tough with Oregon. In fact, the Bulldogs are 6-8 against the P5 since 2017, with five of those losses coming by one score.
Maybe it’s time to stop scheduling them… Nobody likes to pay to lose.
Fresno State will host Kent State this weekend before beginning MWC play. They’ll look to keep that record perfect in Week 4.