Bryan Cole / The Collegian

Fresno State̢۪s chances of making it to a ninth bowl game in 10 seasons have taken a severe hit in the last two weeks.

After losing to Louisiana Tech and Friday night̢۪s loss at home to Nevada, the Bulldogs will need a quick turnaround in their last three games of the season if they hope to play football in December.

Coach Pat Hill said he̢۪s just focused on trying to get a win this week against New Mexico State and give his seniors something to smile about in the final home game of the season.

“I’ll give you the Jim Mora: Playoffs?!,â€Â said Hill, referencing the famous rant by the former Indianapolis Colts head coach. “I’m not worried about that right now. I’m not thinking much about bowls at this time.â€Â

Fresno State is one win away from bowl eligibility with a 5-4 record, but those six wins won̢۪t necessarily secure a bowl birth for the Bulldogs.

The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) has three bowl tie-ins with the Hawaii Bowl, New Mexico Bowl and Humanitarian Bowl.

If the Pac-10 doesn̢۪t supply enough teams, the WAC will also get a tie-in with the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.

Additionally, if Boise State stays undefeated and is able to leap-frog Utah in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings, the Broncos will earn a trip to a BCS game.

Hypothetically, that would leave four spots up for grabs in the WAC.

Looking at the conference from top to bottom, Fresno State might be the odd man out, but try telling that to sophomore linebacker Chris Carter.

“I am extremely confident, 100 percent confident that we will become bowl eligible,â€Â Carter said. “We just have to go out there and grab it by the horns and take control of it.â€Â

That might be easier said than done though.

San Jose State is 6-4 overall and has already clinched a bowl birth.

Louisiana Tech beat San Jose State on Saturday night to get its fifth win of the season and holds the tiebreaker over Fresno State.

Hawaii is 5-5 and needs one more win for bowl contention. The Warriors̢۪ next two games are against Idaho and a winless Washington State team, two of the worst teams in the nation.

If Hawaii gets that sixth win, they will be set because they automatically have a tie-in to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

So with two spots secured by San Jose State and Hawaii, that hypothetically leaves two spots open for Nevada, Louisiana Tech and Fresno State.

Long story short, Fresno State lost to both Louisiana Tech and Nevada, which would make the Bulldogs the odd men out.

However, if the Bulldogs can finish the season winning two out of the next three games, they may have a good shot at a bowl game with a 7-5 record.

Senior tight end Bear Pascoe said that̢۪s all they can hope for at this point in the season.

“That’s about all we’re playing for right now is a bowl game,â€Â Pascoe said. “We’re going to try and win out and see what happens at the end of the season.â€Â

The Bulldogs do have something working in their favor though – Boise loves Fresno.

When Fresno State has played in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, fans have openly cheered for the Bulldogs. Fresno State fans have also traveled well for bowl games.

Both of these things combined would seem to favor the Bulldogs because the bowl selection committees get to choose who plays in their bowl game.

If the Bulldogs have six wins it doesn̢۪t matter if they lost to another team because the selection committee has the final say and the Humanitarian Bowl committee would likely pick Fresno State.

But with Fresno State̢۪s recent problems on the field, getting that sixth win could be a daunting task.

After Friday night̢۪s game, Carter made a bold prediction that the Bulldogs would get that sixth win this Saturday against New Mexico State.

“I have faith in my team,â€Â Carter said. “There is definitely a chance for us to be bowl eligible. We are going to get out there and take care of the things we need to take care of.â€Â