Cloudy with a Chance of Football: Can Fresno State's Pat Hill Weather the Storm?

Pat Hill has always believed in over-achieving ever since he took over at Fresno State in the fall of 1996, following long time Bulldog coach Jim Sweeney. Hill wanted to turn a team from one that had three straight losing seasons to a team that could win year in and year out.

Hill began the mantra of "Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime" at Fresno State. He wanted Fresno State to play "big time football" against some of the top teams in the country.

Over the past 11 seasons, not including the in progress 2009 season, Hill has done just that, playing teams like USC, Wisconsin, Kansas State and Oklahoma in recent years.

In 2001, it looked like Hill and the Bulldogs were finally reaping the benefits as they earned a No. 8 national ranking and the cover page and story in Sports Illustrated.

The Bulldogs opened the season with a surprising 24-22 win on the road against Colorado followed by a 44-24 drubbing of then tenth ranked Oregon State at Bulldog Stadium then a 32-20 win over Wisconsin up in Madison.

They were shocking the college football world, this wasn't a team that was expected to beat teams like these and especially not on the road. But they were doing just that, gaining Hill and the Bulldogs national respect around the country.

But, in what's become a familiarity with every Bulldog team, the high was met by an unbelievable low. After conference wins over Tulsa and Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs would be upset by a familiar foe in Boise State, a 35-30 loss at home followed by a 38-34 loss in Hawaii against the Warriors.

Since that season, there has been a lot of talk from fans that Hill should come down from the kind of scheduling he's done since he became the head coach. That playing some of the top teams in college football wears on his players and causes more injuries and fatigue later in the season.

Some fans say he expects too much from his teams, that he should schedule lesser teams and get them ready for conference play. To stop concentrating on making a BCS bowl game and just concentrate on winning an outright WAC title, something Hill hasn't accomplished in his tenure.

My take is far different from that of fans I've talked to in the past as well as friends that still live in the area.

Without Pat Hill, Fresno State would still be some small unknown school in the central valley of California. There would be no talk of them being a preseason "BCS Buster" or the possibility that they could shock some prime time team in college football.

I'm not the type of fan that wants to see Fresno State schedule UC Davis, Portland State and Sacramento State year in and year out just so they can possibly be undefeated going into conference play. That is going to do them an ounce of good when they're still getting thumped by Boise State and Hawaii.

My other problem is I think is those that want Pat Hill fired. The one thing I've yet to see from those people is who they want instead of Hill. Who do the Bulldog fans want as their head coach if you're wanting so badly to get rid of someone that's turned this program around from where it used to be.

Hill's "Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime" mantra has increased the visibility of this program. The impact of which may have encouraged players, who otherwise wouldn't have given them a second look, to consider Fresno State during recruiting.

Though there is inherent risk in traveling to some of the top BCS schools, it is also a way to garner some level of credibility in Hill’s no-fear attitude.

I have been and will continue to be a supporter of coach Hill. I'd much rather watch this program face teams like Wisconsin, Oregon and USC than watch them pummel teams like UC Davis, Portland State and any other game most of us would consider "warmups."

Support him or don't, as long as Pat Hill is the head coach of the Fresno State Bulldogs, his mantra will continue to be the focus of their scheduling.