At various times over the past 20 years, the Fresno State Bulldogs have been at or near the top of the heap when it comes to non-power conference teams in college football. However, the 2016 edition of the squad isn't quite up to part, leaving the Big Ten's choice include the Bulldogs as an "exempt" opponent as an eyebrow-raising decision.
Videos by FanBuzz
For a bit of background, the Big Ten committed a year ago to force its members into playing at least one non-conference game against an exempt opponent. Those opponents would include another Power 5 school, BYU and Notre Dame but, in advance of Minnesota's game against Fresno State in 2019, the conference apparently added the Bulldogs to the list.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune brought word of the exemption for Fresno State, and they even passed along confirmation from Golden Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys:
"Otherwise we wouldn't have done that," Claeys said. "[The Big Ten] has to approve it."
This is a controversial decision on a number of levels but, chiefly among them, Fresno State holds a sub-.500 record over the past six seasons (34-38) and the Bulldogs are a horrific 1-6 on the field in 2016. This wiggle room will undoubtedly lead to other Big Ten teams to ask permission to add lesser squads as their exempt opponents and, in the end, it is a dangerous precedent for the league.
We can all look forward to Minnesota's non-conference slate in 2019, featuring South Dakota State, Georgia Southern... and Fresno State.
