The little big game

Last night my brother and I went to San Jose to see the WAC intrastate matchup between Fresno State and San Jose State. My brother is a FSU alum who likes to see this game in even-numbered years when it's played up here, and sometimes I tag along because I like to watch college football in person.

The game was on national TV (ESPN2) with a 6pm local time, which is a tough time to get to San Jose from anywhere else in the area. We ended up arriving midway through the first quarter, but didn't miss much, because the entire first half saw both teams running up and down the field without altering the giant scoreboard. Mid-major conferences like the WAC usually have lots of offensive firepower, but there wasn't a whole lot on display last night.

The Bulldogs (FSU) and the Spartans (SJSU) were in the middle of the pack this year, and both battling for low-end bowl berths. A lot of Bulldog fans made the trip from Fresno, so it was a divided crowd, with a lot of good-natured banter back and forth. The game was tied 10-10 going to the 4th quarter, but FSU made a couple of late drives to win 24-10 going away. It looks like they're going to a bowl and SJSU is staying home this year.

In today's actual Big Game, another local team got eliminated from bowl contention as Cal beat Stanford 37-16. The Cal Bears seem to win all their home games and lose all their road games, but they play more home games, so they're heading to a bowl this year. With the lack of Bay Area sports success this year, it's refreshing to have at least one local team be somewhat successful.. Roll on you Bears.