The Old Oil Can rivalry survives conference realignment one more time — except now it's a Pac-12 game, and both programs showed up to the new league with real expectations.
Bush’s Picks
FRESSDSU
FRESSDSU
OverUnder
Best BetSan Diego State
San Diego State's biggest edge here isn't talent, it's certainty — Denegal is a known quantity while Fresno State still hasn't named a starter. In a game this early in a brand-new conference, betting on the program without a quarterback controversy is the safer read, and SDSU's preseason ranking ahead of Fresno backs that up.
Fresno State
+Went 9-4 in 2025, capped by an Arizona Bowl win
+CBS Sports tabs them a Pac-12 dark horse
+Remarkable roster retention through spring ball
−Unsettled quarterback battle heading into October
−New offensive line coach still installing scheme
−Lost QB depth (Conklin, Turner) to the portal
San Diego State
+Jayden Denegal returns with full command of the offense
+Landed 14 preseason All-Pac-12 selections
+Picked second in the Pac-12 behind Boise State
−Split the last 8 meetings with Fresno State
−First season adjusting to a new conference and travel slate
−Sean Lewis still building toward a winning career record
Fresno State's Matt Entz still doesn't have his starting quarterback locked down heading toward October 17 at Snapdragon Stadium. Maryland transfer Khristian Martin is the presumed front-runner over returner Jayden Mandal and a stack of true freshmen, but nothing's settled. San Diego State has the opposite problem — no problem at all. Jayden Denegal is back under center for Sean Lewis, giving the Aztecs the kind of continuity Fresno State can only hope its quarterback battle produces by midseason.
Denegal won't lack for weapons. Lucky Sutton and Christian Washington in the backfield, Jordan Napier and Nathan Acevedo out wide — a group that helped SDSU land 14 preseason All-Pac-12 selections. Fresno State's answer is a retooled staff: Brian Ferentz slides over to coach the offensive line and Nick Benedetto adds an associate head coach title, the kind of behind-the-scenes moves Entz is betting stabilize a program that just won 9 games and an Arizona Bowl. Whoever wins that Fresno quarterback job will need protection and playmakers to matter.
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FRES Fresno State
SDSU San Diego State
This one's for the Old Oil Can, a trophy that's changed hands since 1935, and the series itself has gone dark and come back more than once as conferences shuffled around it. Now it's neither team's Mountain West finale — it's a Pac-12 game, the first time these two have ever lined up in the same power conference, and it changes exactly nothing about how personal this series gets.
Fresno State Bulldogs
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—
San Diego State Aztecs
Oct 10?@ Oregon State—
Oct 3?vs Texas State—
Sep 25?@ Toledo—
Sep 19?vs James Madison—
Sep 12?@ UCLA—
Sep 5?vs Portland State—
Recent form.
Both programs arrive with real expectations attached. SDSU is projected to finish second in the new-look Pac-12, behind only Boise State, while Fresno State's dark-horse tag comes with a floor of 10 wins if that quarterback competition resolves cleanly. Neither team wants to open their new conference life with a loss in a rivalry game, which makes Snapdragon Stadium in October look like an early measuring stick for both.
