San Jose State Football: First Look at the 2020 Schedule

The Spartans will look to take another step forward against a tough slate.

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Is a winning record on the horizon?

The San Jose State Spartans took a big step forward that was a long time coming in 2019, but the new season will bring with it the toughest task yet for head coach Brent Brennan and his staff: Get back to bowl eligibility.

Here’s the week-by-week schedule with preseason SP+ and ESPN FPI rankings in parentheses (note: San Jose State is ranked 108th by both metrics):

September 5 — at Central Michigan (SP+: 82 | FPI: 103)

September 12 — vs. UC Davis

September 19 — at Penn State (SP+: 5 | FPI: 5)

October 3 — at Boise State (SP+: 38 | FPI: 51)

October 10 — vs. Air Force (SP+: 65 | FPI: 76)

October 17 — vs. UNLV (SP+: 121 | FPI: 117)

October 24 — at San Diego State (SP+: 74 | FPI: 88)

October 31 — at New Mexico (SP+: 122 | FPI: 124)

November 7 — vs. Nevada (SP+: 110 | FPI: 98)

November 14 — vs. Connecticut (SP+: 126 | FPI: 123)

November 21 — vs. Hawaii (SP+: 99 | FPI: 119)

November 28 — at Fresno State (SP+: 94 | FPI: 93)

What stands out from a first glimpse at the 2020 slate?

1. Can the Spartans be road warriors?

If you had to sum up San Jose State’s road schedule in one word, “yikes” would have to be a strong contender. Not only did Central Michigan have its own revitalization last fall, back-to-back trips to Happy Valley and Boise are probably the roughest two-week road swing of any team in the conference. Later dates at San Diego State and Fresno State won’t be gimmes, either, so an upset somewhere down the line could be vital on the path to six victories.

2. Rough early, soft late.

Thankfully, if the Spartans can hang around .500 by Halloween, they’ll get to navigate a slate so soft you’d think it belonged in Letterkenny. Beating the Lobos in Albuquerque is doable, and then San Jose State gets three straight home games against a pair of beatable division foes and newly independent UConn. It’s definitely possible that SJSU gets hot late.

3. There aren’t that many gimmes.

Five wins might seem like a big deal for Spartans fans, but it’s easy to forget that they left a bit on the table by season’s end. Taking a step backwards isn’t out of the question, so avoiding the temptation to look past home dates against UC Davis (who beat San Jose State just two years ago) and UNLV (who stole a win last fall) to the bigger names on the schedule will be a test in itself.

Related 2020 Mountain West Football Schedule Is Out

Hardest stretch: at Penn State, at Boise State, vs. Air Force

Easiest stretch: at New Mexico, vs. Nevada, vs. Connecticut

Guaranteed wins: at New Mexico, Connecticut

Guaranteed losses: Penn State

Worse than 50/50 games: at Boise State, Air Force, at San Diego State

50/50 games: at Central Michigan, Nevada, Hawaii, at Fresno State

Better than 50/50 games: UC Davis, UNLV

Preliminary projected record: 6-6