At Temple University this past Sunday, hundreds of Owl fans gathered around a jumbotron in the school’s gymnasium, eagerly anticipating the announcement of the school’s first bowl bid since 1979.

Similarly, the TCU Horned Frogs’ student body went absolutely nuts when it was announced that the university received a bid to its first BCS bowl game.

And when it was declared at Sunday’s basketball game in the Save Mart Center that Fresno State is going to the New Mexico Bowl for the second straight season, well, the reaction was not raucous to say the least.

There was more applause when the Weed Man blimp soared across the rafters.

Like it or not, Fresno State is headed back to Albuquerque, N.M. for the fourth installment of the New Mexico Bowl and the Bulldogs will once again face a 6-6 team from the Mountain West Conference.

If it helps you feel better, no Western Athletic Conference team will face a BCS-conference team this postseason.

Instead, Fresno State will take on the University of Wyoming Cowboys, a team that managed to beat Colorado State (3-9, 0-8) by one point to clinch their sixth victory, which made the team bowl-eligible.

Wyoming was once part of the Western Athletic Conference with Fresno State and the two teams have split the six games they played.

Fresno State is favored by 10 and a half points, but Bulldog fans shouldn’t automatically expect a victory.

Remember last year’s debacle in Albuquerque against Colorado State, who by the way was also 6-6?

This is by no means an automatic win, but Bulldog fans should already know this about their team.

If one keeps an open mind there are some things to be excited about in this game — namely Ryan Mathews.

Most likely this is going to be the last time we see Fresno State’s greatest running back of all time in a Bulldog uniform.

He has never played in a bowl game and also needs a touchdown to break the single-season touchdown record. This is Mathews’ last opportunity to show NFL scouts why he is a first or second round pick.

But besides the buzz surrounding Mathews, Fresno State needs to gain some respect back after an embarrassing showing in last year’s bowl game.

Maybe it’s because this is my last Fresno State game as a student at this university, but I wouldn’t mind a bowl-game victory in two out of the four years I was here.

After suffering through the “season that shall not be named” (aka the 4-8 2006 season) I’m still able to appreciate any kind of a bowl appearance.

Plus, we will all need a little stress-relief after going through finals week.

What better way to spend the first Saturday of your holiday then curled up watching your Bulldogs kick off the bowl season.

Covering this team for the past four years has definitely had its up and downs with a Rose-Bowl victory, a triple-overtime loss at Kyle Field, beating Georgia Tech on the Smurf Turf, Oregon’s fake field goal at Bulldog Stadium and the latest installment to this roller-coaster ride, the 53-52 win over the Illini.

Let’s see if the ’Dogs can give us one more memory. For me, it’s going to be a lasting one.