(Written by kencraw)

The athletic department announced today that our first game in 2011 will be a neutral-field site, Candlestick park, against Fresno state. They also state that our game on 9/10 will be an away game and that our game on 9/17 will be a home game (at AT&T of course).

They don’t say exactly how it’s going to work, but the indication is that the Fresno St. game won’t be included in the season tickets. So, for those of us who hope to buy tickets for all games in the region, we’re looking at two non-season ticket games (Fresno and Stanford) we’ll have to purchase separately for a total of 7 games (5 home, 2 “regional”). Since we’ve been told through the grapevine that season tickets will cost about the same as last year, we’re looking at a more expensive season once all is said and done.

The cost issue aside, I like the idea of playing Fresno St. and the neutral field during our “banished” year is not a bad idea. We won’t have to worry about paying Fresno a fixed lump sum in a “pay for play” game, but we also won’t be losing a home game in the future that a home-and-home would.

Add to that, that Fresno is not the team they used to be (and no Nevada), so it should be a winnable game, and it feels right for next season.