Nevada vs. Fresno State Common Opponents 2009

To gear up for, arguably, the biggest conference game of the 2009 season for the beloved Wolf Pack, it seems natural to do a head-to-head comparison of scores between the two teams' common opponents.

There are four of them.

Utah State:
     Nevada at Utah State, October 17, 2009
                   1   2   3   4   T
     NEV        0  14  7  14 35
     USU        7  14  3   8  32
     Fresno State vs. Utah State, October 31, 2009
                   1   2   3   4   T
     FSU        17  3   7  7  31  
     USU       10  17  0  0  27

Idaho:
     Nevada vs. Idaho, October 24, 2009
                   1   2   3   4   T
     NEV      14  14 21 21 70
     IDHO      0   24 14  7 45
     Fresno State at Idaho, November 7, 2009
                   1   2   3   4   T
     FSU       17  7   7   0  31
     IDA         0   0   7 14  21

Hawai'i:
     Nevada vs. Hawai'i, October 31, 2009
                   1   2   3   4   T
     NEV        7  14  7   3  31
     HAW      14  0   0   7  21
     Fresno State at Hawai'i, October 10, 2009
                   1   2   3   4   T
     FSU        14 14 14  0  42
     HAW       0   3   0  14 17

San Jose State:
     Nevada at San Jose State, November 8, 2009
                   1   2   3   4   T
     NEV        6  28 14 14 62
     SJSU       0   0   0   7   7
     Fresno State vs. San Jose State, October 17, 2009
                   1   2   3   4   T
     FSU         7  24  0  10 41
     SJSU      14  0   0   7  21

(Note: Nevada and Fresno State play opposites; that is to say, whomever the one team plays at home, the other team plays them on the road.  Neat, huh?)

In those four games:
     Nevada:
          PF-198 PA-105 (dif. +93)
     Fresno State:
          PF-145 PA-86  (dif. +59)

Of those four teams, only Idaho is not currently one of the bottom three.

Fresno State: has won five in a row; did what they should have against Hawai'i; at least had an interesting game versus San Jose State; did about as well as the Pack did against Utah State (only at home, though); and didn't really have much trouble at Idaho.

Nevada: has won six in a row; looked as though they didn't give Hawai'i much thought; made a statement against San Jose State while gearing up for the two toughies, Fresno State on only six days rest; did about as well as Fresno State versus Utah State (on the road); and made a BIG offensive statement at home against Idaho (made a big defensive statement, too, only for all the wrong reasons).

Black and white analysis gives a slim edge to the Pack at home...very slim, and very black and white.  The same black and white analysis going into the Boise State game in 2006 would have said something similar: Nevada managed to score 42 while holding scoreless BOTH Utah State at home and LaTech on the road going into that game, a bit better than Boise State had done against both of those teams; the Broncos would go on to beat Nevada 38-7 on the Pack's own Field Turf.

Prognostications anyone?

Patsville, near Mountain City.

Data courtesy of espn.com.