Fresno State can breathe, at least for a few days.

After finishing Mountain West play with a 41-14 win at San Jose State, the Bulldogs (8-4, 5-3 Mountain West) await their bowl assignment, which will be announced Sunday.

Coach Matt Entz said the team will spend more time this week in the weight room and recovering from the 12-game regular season than on the field.

With all the activity among college football coaches coming and going, Entz said no one has contacted him about any openings.

“I’m excited to be a Bulldog and can’t wait to get back and continue,” said Entz, who is in his first year at Fresno State.

The Kiffin Connection

Lane Kiffin, a one-time Fresno State reserve quarterback and student assistant coach, was never under consideration to rejoin the Bulldogs, Entz said with a laugh. Kiffin left likely playoff participant Mississippi for LSU and a seven-year, $91 million contract.

“I’m sure he has plenty on his plate right now. The last thing he needs to worry about is Matt Entz,” the coach said.

If Entz thought about leaving early, his contract says he must first inform the athletics director. If he leaves before Jan. 31, 2026, he would have to pay a $3 million exit fee.

With eight wins, Entz earned a $60,000 bonus (and another $20,000 would come with a ninth win). He will earn $50,000 for qualifying for a bowl game (and another $25,000 for winning the bowl). There are also bonuses tied to academic progress.

The Recruiting Class

Fresno State will announce its recruiting class Wednesday. Entz said several recruits are waiting for his call. They will know it’s Entz because “it’s probably the only Fargo, North Dakota, number they all have.”

“The things that we look for are high character, intelligence in the classroom and on the field, athleticism, and a level of toughness to fit into our program,” Entz said Saturday.

“We don’t skip the work and we don’t skip the development at Fresno State. So if you’re looking for a place where you’re going to show up and move right into a playing role, this isn’t it. You’ve got to come earn it at Fresno State,” Entz said.

Mac Olsen, a defensive lineman from Manti (Utah) High School, announced he decommitted from the Bulldogs and will play at Montana instead.

“That happens all the time. It is what it is, and it’s hard to hang on to those guys who are a long way from home. It’s a long recruiting process, but there’ll be more guys. All I’m going to worry about is the guys who want to be Bulldogs. How about that?” Entz said.

BarkBoard reports several three-star recruits committed to the Bulldogs already, including Clovis High quarterback Deagan Rose.

Lynch Player of the Week

Kicker Dylan Lynch earned Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week. The senior from Bakersfield went 4-for-4 on field goals of 34, 41, 41 and 33 yards.

This is the third POW of Lynch’s Bulldog career.

With his 12 points last week, Lynch moved into the top five all-time Bulldog scorers with 307 points.

More on the Mountain West Title Game

Boise State will host UNLV on Friday in the Mountain West title game. Both teams finished atop a four-way tiebreaker decided by four computer polls.

The conference said Boise State finished with an average ranking of 47.75 (lower is better) across the Connelly SP+, KPI, ESPN SOR and the previously unknown SportsSource Analytics poll. UNLV had the next-best ranking at 45.50. San Diego State (51.00) and New Mexico (54.75) finished third and fourth.

The Mountain West is unusual in that it places rankings or computer metrics so high in its tiebreaker system. Most other conferences go to the artificial intelligence metric as the second-to-last criterion, just above drawing lots. The Mountain West has it as its second tiebreaker, behind head-to-head.

The tiebreaker that determined the ACC championship game matchup involved strength of schedule — the combined record of each team’s opponents. If the Mountain West used that system, Boise State would still be No. 1 (33-31). New Mexico would be No. 2 (30-34), one game better than SDSU and UNLV.

In a statement on X, New Mexico football said it respected the tiebreaker procedure but “we are disappointed that our student-athletes … will not have the opportunity to compete for a championship.”

What About the Pac-12?

The Mountain West tiebreakers are moot for Boise State, San Diego State and Fresno State, as they are all moving to the Pac-12 next year. The Pac-12 tiebreakers from 2023, the last full football season, had strength of schedule ahead of computer metrics.

The exact nature of the Pac-12’s 2026 schedule is still to be determined. With only eight teams, it is likely each team will play each other, guaranteeing head-to-head matchups.

Athletics Director Garrett Klassy said there will be a championship game, with details still being worked out.