Colorado State and Fresno State both spent this offseason rebuilding for a jump to the Pac-12, and this late-November meeting could say a lot about which rebuild actually worked.
Bush’s Picks
CSUFRES
CSUFRES
OverUnder
Best BetFresno State
Fresno State gets the nod here mostly on program continuity — Entz is in year 2 with a top-10 defense already in place, while Colorado State is asking a new staff and a mostly new roster to find their footing in a brand-new league. The Rams have more raw talent added via the portal, but chemistry doesn't build overnight, and that's the bigger swing factor in year one under Mora.
Colorado State
+Jim Mora brings proven head-coaching pedigree to rebuild
+Portal haul brought in 38 additional transfers
+Multiple QB options including experienced Big 12 transfer
−Jumping into a significantly tougher Pac-12 slate
Fresno State
+Matt Entz enters year 2 after a 9-4 bounce-back
+Defense ranked 10th nationally in yards allowed
+More program continuity moving into the Pac-12
−No returning starting quarterback for 2026
−New offensive line coach adds transition risk
−Passing game largely unproven heading into a tougher league
Both programs are walking into new territory this fall. Colorado State hired Jim Mora away from UConn to run a full teardown after a rough 2025, and Fresno State is trying to prove last year's 9-4 bounce-back under Matt Entz wasn't a one-off as the Bulldogs move up to a tougher league.
The headline for Colorado State all offseason has been the quarterback room. Mora and staff are picking from a group that includes Oklahoma State transfer Hauss Hejny and Darius Curry, who started a game last season, with no clear QB1 locked in as of this summer. Fresno State's situation isn't cleaner — neither of last year's starters is back, and Maryland transfer Khristian Martin is battling Jayden Mandal for the job.
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CSU Colorado State
FRES Fresno State
Where Fresno State does have continuity is on defense. Nick Benedetto's unit ranked 10th nationally in yards allowed last season and returns as the backbone of Entz's program, even as the offensive line adjusts to new coach Brian Ferentz. Colorado State, by contrast, is starting almost from scratch — nearly the entire two-deep turned over in the portal, with 18 of Mora's additions having ties to him from UConn.
Colorado State Rams
Nov 14?@ Washington State—
Nov 7?vs Boise State—
Oct 31?@ Utah State—
Oct 15?@ Texas State—
Oct 3?vs Oregon State—
Sep 25?@ UTSA—
Sep 19?vs BYU—
Sep 12?vs Southern Utah—
Sep 5?vs Wyoming—
Fresno State Bulldogs
Nov 14?@ Texas State—
Nov 7?@ Utah State—
Oct 30?vs Oregon State—
Oct 17?@ San Diego State—
Oct 10?vs Boise State—
Oct 3?@ Washington State—
Sep 26?vs Rice—
Sep 19?@ San José State—
Sep 12?vs Sacramento State—
Sep 4?@ USC—
Recent form.
That gap in roster continuity is the crux of this one. Fresno State enters year 2 of Entz's system with a defense that's already proven it can play at a Pac-12 level, while Colorado State is asking a brand-new coaching staff and a rebuilt roster to gel fast enough to compete on the road in late November.
Colorado State Rams
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Fresno State Bulldogs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Mora's stated plan — a ball-control, run-first attack built around avoiding turnovers — suggests patience over fireworks, which lines up with a Fresno State defense that wants to slow the game down too. Don't expect a shootout here; expect two teams still figuring out their identities trying to win an ugly one.
