The non-conference slate isn't as punishing as a year ago, but nothing will come easy for a young Bulldogs team that wants to rebound toward contention.
In some ways, examining the 2016 slate for the Fresno State Bulldogs is like déjà vu: Maybe there's no buzzsaw like Ole Miss on the inevitable horizon, but the FBS opponents on the non-conference schedule aren't slouches, by any means. The Mountain West schedule, again, puts the onus on winning early, with two critical October road games for the second year in a row.
And, oh, by the way, each in the trio of inter-division foes went to bowls in 2015, a group which includes the conference runners-up.