Fresno State’s No. 23 ranking in the College Football Playoff Poll is three spots lower than the AP Poll, but Tuesday’s reveal was good news for the Bulldogs and the Red Wave.

First and foremost, Fresno State is the only team in the Mountain West to crack the rankings - Compared to the AP Poll and Coaches Poll which both have Utah State ranked ahead of the Bulldogs.

In the event that Fresno State (7-1, 4-0) and Utah State (7-1, 4-0) both finish the Mountain West scheduled unbeaten, the team with the highest ranking in the College Football Playoff Poll will host the Mountain West Championship Game. Fresno State was ranked No. 23 in the initial CFP Poll while Utah State was not ranked at all, making the Bulldogs the frontrunner to host in that scenario.

There will be few chances for Utah State to get a needle-moving win between now and the end of the season. The Aggies and Bulldogs share a similar marquee game at Boise State (6-2, 4-1). USU’s other remaining games include at Hawaii (6-4) and sub-.500 opponents Colorado State and San Jose State. The Bulldogs play San Diego State (6-2) and a pair of sub-.500 teams in UNLV and SJSU.

In the hunt for the New Year’s Six Bowl Game, awarded to the top-ranked Group of 5 program, competing school Houston was also left out of the rankings. Houston was ranked ahead of Fresno State in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll.

So while Fresno State is ranked lower than they were in the AP Poll (No. 20), they have leapfrogged two teams standing in their way in the poll that matters most. The Bulldogs are now in position, if they win out, to host the Mountain West Championship game and are only one team behind a New Year’s Six Bowl bid.

The only school preventing Fresno State from the driver’s seat in pursuit of a New Year’s Six Bowl is UCF. The Knights were ranked No. 12, three spots behind their ranking in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. The NY6 Bowls include the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl. UCF earned the spot last season, defeating Auburn in the Peach Bowl and finishing the year undefeated.

Fresno State has four games remaining, starting at UNLV on Saturday. The two teams will kickoff Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PT.

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