<body><div>The Fresno State Bulldogs are set to host San Jose State on Saturday for an annual matchup. The Spartans are Fresno State's oldest and closest rival, but the series could soon hit the pause button. The series first kicked off more than a century ago in 1921. This weekend represents the 87th meeting. Since 1946, the two programs have missed each other only six times. Conference realignment and the COVID-19 pandemic have been the only factors to keep these two teams away from each other as of late.But last month, conference realignment struck again. Fresno State announced, along with now four other Mountain West schools, that they will be joining the reimagined Pac-12 Conference. San Jose State, meanwhile, will be staying in the Mountain West. Fresno State defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said, "This has been a big rival, I can recall back to when I was here in the 90s … I think it'd be sad for the rivalry to end. There's certain rivalries that just should continue. Unfortunately in this day and age you lose some of that."Former standout Bulldog and current cornerbacks coach JD Williams added, "It'll continue. No doubt, it'll continue." But as currently stands, Fresno State's non-conference schedule is tied up through 2029. San Jose State is booked up through 2031. The two long-term rivals are yet to have any formal or informal discussions about continuing the series. There are two ways these two teams could add one another in a non-conference capacity though. The Mountain West currently has eight football teams and the Pac-12 has seven with at least one more needed. If both conferences stop at eight, that will free up an extra fifth non-conference game for both schools each season - which would need to be filled quickly for the 2026-2029 seasons. Fresno State Director of Athletics Garrett Klassy said, "I think the future of our scheduling is really going to be dependent on how many football members in the Pac-12 Conference. Because if it's a seven-game league schedule, we obviously are going to have some openings. And we may even if it's an eight-game league schedule."We love hosting the Spartans and we hope the series continues for a long time."<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2EVTbT_0wNtfOig00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2EVTbT_0wNtfOig00" width="620" height="320" ><figcaption>(Photo: Jackson Moore, 247Sports)</figcaption></figure>San Jose State Director of Athletics Jeff Konya said, "I don't think there's necessarily any ill-will between ourselves and Fresno State. But the fact of the matter is that our football schedule … is pretty locked up through the better part of the next decade. So now there are going to be a few challenges on the schedule that we're going to have to confront and maybe there will be pockets of opportunities there to do things."If either conference moves beyond eight schools, it will take currently-scheduled games to be canceled in order to free room for the Valley Rivalry to continue. Fresno State has a non-conference home-and-home with Washington State scheduled for 2026 and 2027 - the two teams will now be conference-mates. San Jose State also had a home-and-home with UTEP in 2026 and 2027 - the Miners are now joining SJSU in the Mountain West. Konya said, "With UTEP coming in, we had a non-conference home-and-home series in the next several years. With that coming off the books, potentially there might be some games that open up on our schedule." However, one or both schools currently have zero non-conference openings in 2028, 2029 and 2030. While football schedules are being set as far in the future as the 2030s, most other sports create their schedules on a year-by-year basis. The many other sports on the two campuses should be able to keep the Valley Rivalry alive if football takes a break. "We would love to play all of our games regionally," Klassy said. "I think that's a great thing with the makeup of the Pac-12 is we're still going to have a regional schedule. But for our olympic sports, there's no doubt that we'd love to keep playing San Jose State in everything. It just makes too much sense, there's too much history there. We'll work hard with San Jose State to see if there's a way we can keep playing all of our series with them."</div></body>

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Conference Realignment: Will Fresno State, SJSU rivalry continue?

The Fresno State Bulldogs are set to host San Jose State on Saturday for an annual matchup. The Spartans are Fresno State's oldest and closest rival, but the series could soon hit the pause button. The series first kicked off more than a century ago in 1921. This weekend represents...

Conference Realignment: Will Fresno State, SJSU rivalry continue?

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