SAN JOSE >> It was impossible for San Jose State football players to miss the Valley Trophy this week.

It was the first thing they saw when they walked into the training facility. It sat on the visitor’s sidelines during practices. After that, the shiny “V” sat in the locker room.

Not that the Spartans needed a reminder.

The Spartans will make the 2 ½ hour drive to Fresno Saturday for what could be a bowl-clinching victory against their oldest rival.

“I’ve been thinking about this game since before the season started,” said cornerback Michael Dansby. “Fresno is always going to be a big week.”

Dansby’s 98-yard pick six was a key play in the Spartans’ 42-18 win over the Bulldogs last season that brought the Valley Trophy back to San Jose for the first time since 2019. But more than half of this year’s roster — as well as first-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo — are experiencing the rivalry for the first time.

“All of us are being indoctrinated to what this rivalry means,” Niumatalolo said.

The Spartans (5-2, 3-1 Mountain West) have additional motivation: It’s homecoming tonight at Fresno State – typically a game the home team schedules against what it considers an inferior opponent.

“That’s what’s driving the whole team actually, that homecoming,” Dansby said. “Thank god our coaches told us that because that’s driving me for sure.”

Fresno State (4-3, 2-1 Mountain West) also has a first-year coach, though Tim Skipper needs no primer on the history between the teams. He played linebacker for the Bulldogs and had his first career interception against the Spartans in 2000.

This will be the 87th time the schools face off since they first met in 1921. Fresno State leads the series 44-39-3, an advantage largely helped by a 16-1 stretch from 1991-2010. San Jose State is aiming to keep the Valley Trophy for consecutive years for the first time since 2015-16.

The last time SJSU won at Fresno was the 2016 season.

Due to conference realignment (the Bulldogs are joining the Pac-12 in 2026) this could be the final game Fresno State hosts between the two for a while.

“Hopefully we could still figure out a way to play each other because it’s been so long that we’ve been playing each other. You look forward to that game,” Skipper said at his Monday presser.

Beyond the rivalry, Saturday night’s game could go a long way in determining the Mountain West Conference race.

Entering this weekend there are four teams with perfect conference records, followed by SJSU, Fresno State and New Mexico with one MW loss. The loser tonight has an uphill battle to reach the conference championship game.

Eget gets the nod again at QB >> There are no more questions about who will start at quarterback for the Spartans. Walker Eget was 20 of 38 for 318 yards and a touchdown in SJSU’s homecoming win over Wyoming.

A surprise not many saw coming was Eget’s mobility. He rushed for 45 yards on three carries.

Eget has shown a tendency to turn the ball over with four turnovers and will have his hands full with the Bulldogs. They have forced 12 turnovers this season which is 27th best in the nation.