The Fresno State–San Jose State football rivalry, also known as the Battle for the Valley[2] is a college football rivalry between the Fresno State Bulldogs football team of California State University, Fresno and the San Jose State Spartans football team of San José State University. The two teams currently play annual, regularly scheduled contests as Mountain West Conference (West Division) opponents.
First meeting | November 19, 1921 San Jose State, 14–2 |
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Latest meeting | October 26, 2024 Fresno State, 33–10 |
Trophy | Valley Trophy (2013–present) |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 87 |
All-time series | Fresno State leads, 45–39–3[1] |
Trophy series | Fresno State, 6–5 |
Largest victory | Fresno State, 63–12 (1999) |
Longest win streak | Fresno State, 12 (1991–2005) |
Current win streak | Fresno State, 1 (2024–present) |
Since 1921, Fresno State and San Jose State have shared conference affiliation in numerous athletics conferences including the California Coast Conference, Far Western Conference, California Collegiate Athletic Association, Big West Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference.
The rivalry is likely rooted in the two schools' relatively close proximity to one another in the state of California. The city of Fresno is located approximately 150 miles southeast of San Jose. Both institutions are also members of the California State University system.
Additionally, Fresno State and San Jose State are both located in geographical valleys. Fresno is located in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley while San Jose is located in the Santa Clara Valley, which is now more widely known as Silicon Valley. The locations of the two schools account for the names Valley Cup, Valley Bowl and the Battle for the Valley.
As of 2024, Fresno State leads the series 45–39–3.
Historical overview
editSan Jose State led the series from 1949 to 2001, but Fresno State tied it at 32–32–3 with a victory in 2002 and recaptured the lead in 2003. The Bulldogs and Spartans first played each other in 1921, making the rivalry series the second oldest in the Mountain West Conference, behind only Colorado State–Wyoming.
The rivalry took a one-year break in 2012 after conference realignment temporarily separated the two schools, with Fresno State moving to the Mountain West Conference while San Jose State stayed in the Western Athletic Conference. It resumed as a conference rivalry in 2013 when San Jose State joined the Mountain West and is assured of being an annual matchup since both schools are in the West Division. Beginning in 2013, the winner of the game is awarded the Valley Trophy.[3][4] The trophy features a silver letter V, with an electrical transistor pattern down one side, and a grape vine pattern down the other, representing each school's representative geographic region.
Statistics
editFresno State | San Jose State | |
---|---|---|
Games played | 87 | |
Wins | 45 | 39 |
Ties | 3 | |
Home wins | 23 | 22 |
Road wins | 22 | 17 |
Consecutive wins | 12 | 7 |
Most total points in a game | 114 | |
Most points in a win | 63 | 65 |
Most points in a loss | 52 | 30 |
Fewest total points in a game | 0 | |
Largest margin of victory | 50 | 42 |
Smallest margin of victory | 1 | 1 |
Total points scored in series | 1,953 | 1,894 |
Shutouts of opposing team | 4 | 2 |
Source:[5] |
Game results
editFresno State victories | San Jose State victories | Tie games |
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Winsipedia - Fresno State Bulldogs vs. San Jose State Spartans football series history". Winsipedia.
- ^ Weiner, Matt (October 16, 2022). "Bulldogs retain Valley Trophy, as SJSU football suffers 17–10 loss". The Spear SJSU. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ San Jose State Athletics (December 6, 2013). "Spartan Football Weekly presented by Una Mas 1.12". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2014. The trophy is shown at the 0:30 mark.
- ^ Durkin, Jimmy (November 6, 2014). "Clearing up some Valley Trophy questions". Spartan Central. Mercurynews.com. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ "Fresno State Bulldogs vs. San Jose State Spartans football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved January 27, 2018.