Fresno State football coach Matt Entz is glad meaningful games remain on the schedule.

The Bulldogs host Utah State on Saturday at Valley Children’s Stadium and still have a shot at playing — and maybe even hosting — the Mountain West Conference title game on Dec. 5.

“That’s good, that’s positive, right? Meaningful football in the month of November — everyone wants to do it,” Entz said at his Monday news conference. “It doesn’t matter what level — high school, college, NFL — when you’re playing meaningful games in November, it means you did something right.”

The best-case scenario is to win out and hope for help.

Bulldogs Narrow Gap on Tiebreaker

The Bulldogs got some help when San Diego State beat Boise State last weekend.

However, Utah State blew it at UNLV, allowing the Rebels to stay alive.

With two weeks to go, SDSU is in position to host the Dec. 5 title game if it wins out. Five teams, including Fresno State, are tied for second at 4-2.

Fresno State owns the tiebreaker against Boise State and Hawai‘i because of head-to-head wins.

Adding teams such as New Mexico and UNLV would affect things. The next step of the tiebreaker — head-to-head among the tied teams, or whether one team defeated all the others — would not apply because Fresno State did not play UNLV or New Mexico.

But if New Mexico and UNLV are added to the mix, the tiebreaker goes to the average ranking from four computer polls.

The Bulldogs (poll average of 63.67) did narrow the gap with UNLV (53.67) and New Mexico (61.67) in the three publicly known computer polls, but are still behind.

This is the best scenario for Fresno State to qualify for the Mountain West title game:

• Win vs. Utah State AND at San Jose State AND
• UNLV lose one, either against Hawai’i OR at Nevada AND
• New Mexico lose one, either at Air Force OR against San Diego State.

Fresno State could host the game in a very specific scenario:

• Win vs. Utah State AND at San Jose State AND
• San Diego State lose against San Jose State AND at New Mexico AND
• New Mexico lose at Air Force AND
• UNLV lose one, either against Hawai’i OR at Nevada.

The conference champion plays in the L.A. Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Dec. 13.

Bowl Projections

Fresno State has qualified for a bowl game, but where it goes — absent winning winning the conference title — is anyone’s guess.

ESPN predicters have the Bulldogs playing at the Snoop D0gg Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27 in Tucson, Arizona) against either Miami of Ohio or Toledo.

Sports Illustrated also projects the Arizona Bowl against Western Michigan. Athlon Sports does the same, predicting Central Michigan as the opponent.

CBS Sports is guessing the Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2 in Memphis) against TCU.

The New York Times guesses the First Responder Bowl (Dec. 26 in Dallas) against Cal.

Senior Night

Fresno State will honor 27 seniors at its final home game Saturday.

“All of them have provided great leadership and served as great mentors in their respective position rooms and sides of the football. I owe them a lot, especially as a first-year head coach. Those are the first guys you get a chance to build relationships with when you arrive,” Entz said.

One of the seniors, running back Johnathan Arceneaux, had a key 58-yard touchdown run that sealed the win against Wyoming.

“His commitment to this program, his commitment to his teammates and things, it couldn’t happen to a better young man,” Entz said.

Cornerback Al’zillion Hamilton has been a constant leader on and off the field, Entz said.

“I hope they’re watching how AZ handles his business — going to class, being a student of the game, and how he impacts the people in our locker room as well. It’s been great. He has a lot going on in this world right now, and it’s an exciting time for him,” Entz said.

The seniors, according to Fresno State:

Johnathan Arceneaux, Kamron Beachem, Camryn Bracha, Jordan Brown, Wesley Brown, Finn Claypool, Jakari Embry, Korey Foreman, Josiah Freeman, Rolan Fullwood, Julius Gandy, Elijah Gilliam, Al’zillion Hamilton, Michael Jordan Jr., Dylan Lynch, Campbell McHarg, Jadon Pearson, Toreon Penright, Julian Polendo, Charles Remlinger, Zane Rix, Caden Rodgers, Seth Scheidt, Jacob Spomer, Jake Tarwater, Ryan Warkentin, and Ryan Wilson.

Although quarterback E.J. Warner is a senior, he will not participate by choice, a football spokesperson said.

Mandal Out for the Rest of Season

Entz on Tuesday told the media that third-string quarterback Jayden Mandal underwent surgery Monday and is out for the rest of the year.

Entz said Mandal had an ulnar nerve transposition, a UCL tear, a torn labrum, and a cyst in his shoulder. He did not reveal how the injury happened, but it was before the Southern game on Sept. 13.

“We tried to go about it non-surgically and tried to get him back to health. He was able to help us as much as he could, hand the football off … At the end of the day, we have to look out for his health and well-being. We went ahead and had the surgery as quickly as we could,” Entz said.

Mandal, a sophomore from Buchanan High School in Clovis, has not played this season. He started in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl last year.

Bulldog Notes

Fresno State has been using the stadium for practice this week. Its regular practice field is flooded because of the rain.

The time for Fresno State’s regular season finale at San Jose State will be 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 29, the team announced Monday. The game will be broadcast on FS1.

It is a whiteout night Saturday. Fresno State will wear special white ag-themed uniforms. Fans are encouraged to wear white as well.

Pat Hill will miss the audio broadcast for the Bulldogs. He has a family wedding to attend.