The Sweeney era bristled with confidence as the Bulldogs became, along with rival San Jose State, the class of the Big West, earning postseason bowl berths four times in the 1980s.

The lone blemish to a perfect season, coupled with the difficulty either team has had in winning in the other's home stadium, has led the Warriors and Bulldogs to contend for one of the WAC's fiercest rivalries.

Before then, the Bulldogs played their home games in Fresno City College's Ratcliffe Stadium, which seated approximately 13,000 fans.

[3] To that end, Hill's Bulldogs frequently played particularly difficult non-conference schedules against elite, highly ranked teams.

Fresno State then headed to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers, winners of the Sun Bowl over UCLA the previous year.

Nonetheless, the impressive performances of the regular season earned[citation needed] Fresno State its first number one overall NFL draft choice in David Carr, picked first by the expansion Houston Texans.

The 2003 squad earned a spot in the Silicon Valley Classic for the third year in a row, this time facing UCLA in San Jose.

The Bulldogs opened the season at Husky Stadium against Washington, a team with high expectations in its second year with head coach Keith Gilbertson.

Again, similarly to the 2001 season, the Bulldogs unexpectedly lost to Louisiana Tech, followed by two more losses, including to newly cemented rival Boise State.

However, the Bulldogs found their redemptive qualities pervading in five straight wins by 40 or more points, including a 70–14 home rout over rival Hawaiʻi, to earn a bid to the MPC Computers Bowl.

The match up against USC turned out to be one for the ages as Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar continually drew against USC quarterback Matt Leinart, and Fresno State running backs Wendel Mathis and Bryson Sumlin exchanged touchdown runs with eventual Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

The loss to the Trojans changed the character of the team, who proceeded to lose their next four games, including the Liberty Bowl against Tulsa.

They started strong against a weak Sacramento State team before losing a close game at Texas A&M in triple overtime.

With time expiring, Fresno State QB Ryan Colburn was forced to throw the ball into the end zone.

The ball was deflected by an Illinois player, and caught by Fresno State offensive lineman Devan Cunningham who barreled his way into the end zone for a two-point conversion.

On December 5, 2011, after finishing the year 4–9, Fresno State announced that Pat Hill had been fired as the head coach of the football program.

[6] On December 17, 2019, former Fresno State offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer, who had spent the 2019 season at Indiana, was hired as Tedford's replacement.

Under Tedford, the Bulldogs won another Mountain West championship and beat Washington State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.

The idea for a trophy as the prize for the newly arranged interstate rivalry was hatched by two separate dairy groups that decided to get involved with their local football programs.

Two dairymen and friends in these organizations, Dan Van Grouw of Meridian, Idaho (in the Boise metropolitan area) and Roger Fluegel of Visalia, California (in Fresno State's home of the San Joaquin Valley), put forward the idea of a traveling trophy and began the administrative process.

There was positive feedback from the teams, coaches, and fans, but an "administrative changeover" kept the trophy off the field for the 2005 game, though the Bulldogs' 27–7 victory is the first listed on the can.

The rivalry with Hawaii has increased greatly in recent years, with both teams being the oldest members of the WAC contending regularly for the conference championship.

With Fresno State joining the Mountain West Conference in 2012 and the addition of the divisional format, the Aztecs and the Bulldogs will compete on an annual basis once again.

"The oil can likely came from a time when Aztec and Bulldog fans traveled to football games between the two schools via the old, twisting, precipitous Grapevine section of Highway 99 over Tejon Pass", said Jacquelyn K. Glasener, executive director of the Fresno State Alumni Association.

"Cars in those days carried extra oil and water to be sure they could make it through difficult trips", added Jim Herrick, executive director of the San Diego State Alumni Association.

The Battle for the Valley Trophy The Fresno State–San Jose State football rivalry started in 1921 and is the Bulldogs' oldest rival.

Nevada is the other of Fresno State's two protected rivalries in the MW's post-2022 divisionless scheduling model, meaning they continue to play every year.

Battle for the Bone From 2001 to 2011, Louisiana Tech and Fresno State played annually as members of the Western Athletic Conference.

[24] The two schools both feature Bulldogs as their mascots, hence the name "Battle for the Bone" was coined by Fresno State's 2001 Homecoming Chair, Terrance Mayes.

[27] Sam Baugh Trophy This honor is given by the Touchdown Club of Columbus, awarded annually to the nation's top collegiate passer.