Washington State Looks to Open Pac-12 Play With a Bang vs. Fresno State

In their first game against a new conference foe, the Washington State Cougars will open Pac-12 play on Saturday night when they host the visiting Fresno State Bulldogs at Gesa Field.

The Cougars enter the conference opener at 1-3 after a tough start to the season. Washington State opened the year with road losses to No. 17 Washington and Kansas State before picking up its first win with a 48-7 victory over Duquesne. The Cougars then returned home last Saturday but couldn’t hold onto an early lead in a 34-24 loss to Arizona.

Fresno State enters Pullman at 3-1 and riding a three-game winning streak. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 39-0 loss at No. 14 USC before responding with wins over Sacramento State, San Jose State, and Rice, feasting on far lesser competition after getting ran out of the Coliseum in Week 1.

For the Cougars, Saturday marks an opportunity to put the first four games behind them and get off to a strong start in a Pac-12 conference that should be wide open, with the exception being Boise State as an outside contender to make the College Football Playoff.