Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere
7/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 9, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - In the Pat Hill era, the mantra of playing "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere" has created a national buzz. Hill's scheduling philosophy of playing the most demanding non-conference schedule possible has wowed college football fans and drawn admiration from national media moguls.
To better appreciate what Hill and the Dogs have faced, a look at the EA Sports NCAA '09 ranking of the nation's 25 toughest college football stadiums shows the treacherous path taken by Fresno State.
In this decade under Hill, the Bulldogs have played in six of the top eight most difficult stadiums and 10 of the Top 25. That includes a 2006 trip to LSU's Tiger Stadium, which is ranked first on the EA Sports list as the nation's toughest stadium.
"We are going to continue to schedule the best competition we can," said Hill. "This list proves that we have traveled a pretty tough road to take the program to a higher national level. The opportunity to line-up against the best programs on their home field is a tribute to our players. They came here to play a tough schedule."
Other stadiums that are ranked at the toughest in the nation include No. 3 Ohio State, where the Dogs played in 2000, and No. 5 Tennessee (2003).
Here's the list of "toughest" stadiums where the Bullldogs have played since 2000.
EA Sports NCAA '09 Toughest Stadiums
1. LSU (Tiger Stadium)
3. Ohio State (Ohio Stadium)
5. Tennessee (Neyland Stadium)
6. Oklahoma (Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium)
7. Oregon (Autzen Stadium)
8. Wisconsin (Camp Randall Stadium)
11. USC (Los Angeles Coliseum)
14. Texas A&M (Kyle Field)
23. Colorado (Folsom Field)
24. Boise State (Bronco Stadium)
The Bulldogs will continue with a tough non-conference schedule in 2008. Road games at the Rose Bowl against UCLA, at Rutger's Stadium and at Toledo, will be challenging. The Bulldogs also play Boise State, which is ranked as the 24th-most difficult place for opponents.
Join the State - Fresno State! The Bulldog football team opens the 2008 home season Sept. 13 against nationally-ranked Wisconsin. For season tickets or mini-plans, click the tickets icon at the top of this page.
