Do Bulldog fans expect too much?

Ok, so usually I write about something majority of fans already know, so I thought I would take a different angle and throw out something that may rile some of you up and some may agree with me.

I used to live in Fresno, so you can't say that I don't know what I'm talking about, because I've heard the same talk when I was living there. I hear the same things with San Diego Padre fans as well. What am I hearing you ask? Fans constantly complaining, about Pat Hill, about the football program trying to do too much, playing teams they have no business playing (USC, Ohio State, Wisconsin, etc).

So with all that said, let's start on the obvious topic which is how much longer is Pat Hill going to be at the helm? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he just sign a ten year contract extension prior to this season starting? So, if in fact, that is correct it means Pat Hill is the head coach of the Fresno State Football team for another 9 years and unless the team has consecutive losing seasons at any point over those next 9 years, don't count on him being fired any time soon. Now, I heard post-game 'Dog Talk on KMJ-580 AM after the loss to Hawaii, I understand fans' frustrations because I felt them as well, but people pointing the blame at Hill? Anyone forget that kicker Kevin Goessling missed 3 FG's, one of which should have been the game winner? Anyone miss the fact that Tom Branstater had a horrendous game, responsible for half (3) of the teams six turnovers, not throwing for a single touchdown? I have a hard time believing that Pat Hill should take the blame for that, but again, this is just my opinion.

As far as the teams Fresno State plays in their non-conference schedule. I've heard a lot of people ask why they even bother, why not focus on a WAC title first and not a BCS Bowl bid? Here's what I have to say to that. For the past several seasons, Boise State has just been that much better than Fresno State and they play the same kind of non-conference schedule that Fresno State does, not shying away from anyone, so it would have been hard to challenge them. With that being said, should Fresno State go out and schedule UC Davis, Cal Poly, Harvard, just to pad their record before you start conference play? If you say yes, I hope you have a good reason for saying yes, because I have no interest in going to Bulldog Stadium just to watch a blowout. I would much rather see how they stack up against the top teams in the country. Anyone hear about San Diego State playing Cal Poly this year? No? Didn't think so.

Are there some die hard, be there through winning and losing seasons, Bulldog fans absolutely there are but there are also a fair share of bandwagon jumpers. Let's get one thing straight, as long as the BCS is around, Fresno State will NEVER play for a National Championship. That is, unless, they play Florida, USC and Ohio State, win all 3 games, go undefeated in conference and win each of those games by 20 or more points, then they might get a consideration, but it's still a long shot. I know there's a lot of excitement about the Bulldogs winning the College World Series and rightly so, I loved watching the celebrations spill out onto Shaw Ave but still able to keep it peaceful (other college towns pay attention, notice no cars turned over, no riots, no looting?), but Pat Hill and his coaching staff are going about this the right way.

Fresno State's one problem right now is their defense, they've had a lot of injuries and their defensive line needs to figure out how to stop teams from running down their throats. Let me put it this way, if Goessling makes FG's against Wisconsin and against Hawaii, we're not talking about losses in either of those games and noone is calling for Pat Hill's head.

Let's put blame where it belongs, and where the players know it should go, squarely on their shoulders and theirs alone.