Fresno State–San Jose State football rivalry in the two schools' relatively close proximity to one another in the state of California. The city of Fresno is located approximately 150 miles south of San Jose. Both institutions are also members of the California State University system. Additionally, Fresno State and San Jose State are both located in geographical valleys. Fresno is located in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley while San Jose is located in the Santa Clara Valley, which is now more widely known as Silicon Valley. The locations of the two schools account for the names Valley Cup and Battle for the Valley Trophy. As of
San Jose State Spartans State's most played opponent in the Mountain West Conference for college football and college basketball. Fresno State and San Jose State first started playing each other as members of the California Coast Conference in the 1920s. San Jose State also has a natural athletics rivalry with the Stanford Cardinal of Stanford University, due in large part to the two school's geographic proximity. The approximate physical distance between the two universities is 23 miles. Additionally, San Jose State and Stanford are each known for having a large alumni workforce presence in Silicon Valley. The two schools first played each other in