It's five games into the season, and the Fresno State football team is undefeated on the road (3-0) and winless at home (0-2).

This unusual situation is rare, but not unique, in Bulldogs history.

The 1967 Bulldogs of second-year coach Darryl Rogers opened the season with three straight home losses: 24-16 to Santa Clara, 30-14 to Idaho and 21-20 to Montana State. They hit the road and won their next two: 31-25 over Cal State-Northridge and 41-14 over Cal Poly.

Fresno State then beat visiting Cal State-Los Angeles 14-3 to snap the trend. The Bulldogs were 3-8 that season.

The 1945 Bulldogs of Alvin "Pix" Pierson also were undefeated on the road and winless at home in their first five games. But this one has an asterisk.

Fresno State won three away games, but the two at home were ties. There was no tiebreaker at the time. The Bulldogs lost on the road in their sixth game, and finished 4-6-2.

When will the 2008 Bulldogs break out of this win-on-the-road, lose-at-home rut? They host Idaho (0-2 Western Athletic Conference, 1-5 overall) on Saturday.

Final thoughts on Hawaii's 32-29 overtime victory on Saturday:

* Some view it as a mistake-marred (six Fresno State turnovers, a 90-yard Hawaii touchdown kickoff return, a blocked Bulldog field-goal attempt in closing seconds of regulation, two failed field-goal attempts in overtime) fiasco. I view it as an epic, a hard-hitting battle where the mistakes were due mainly to the excellence of the other team.

There can be disappointment in such a state of affairs. But no shame.

* The Bulldogs' 2-point conversion attempt in the second quarter was telling.
Lonyae Miller had rushed seven yards for the touchdown, cutting Hawaii's lead to 19-9. Bulldogs coach Pat Hill congratulated the offense, then hurried to a table behind the bench for a quick drink of water.

Suddenly, Hill realized something was amiss. Hawaii had too many players on the field. Penalty. Now, the Bulldogs were only about a yard from a two-point conversion.

It was a year ago today that lawyers for Fresno State and former women's basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein concluded a two-day pre-trial hearing in her gender discrimination lawsuit against the university.

Most thought the trial would last four weeks. Instead, it went eight weeks and caused a sensation seldom if ever matched by a civil action in the central San Joaquin Valley.

On this anniversary, I think of Erica Henry. In a case sure to be a staple of Title IX histories for many years to come, Henry is the wild card, the unknown factor, the destabilizing force. Hers is the one story that can't be explained away by conventional theories of what happened to Johnson-Klein.

To review: In March 2005, Johnson-Klein was fired for allegedly violating school policies, setting in motion events that culminated with her successful lawsuit and a $9 million settlement.

I've spent a considerable part of the past three years in courtrooms, covering the alleged misdeeds of current or former Fresno State athletes, coaches and administrators.

Some of those alleged misdeeds have revolved around sex.

Like it or not, people connected to Fresno State athletics are celebrities. As court documents and testimony have made clear, celebrityhood and sexual opportunism can go together as easily at Fresno State as in Hollywood or Washington, D.C.

And the result just as easily can be heartache and damaged image, for the institution as well as the individual.

I've been asking at Fresno State: Do those in athletics get expert advice on how to avoid the legal, ethical and health pitfalls of fame and sex?

Yes, says Jennifer A. Whyte, coordinator of the university's Women's Resource Center. For example, Whyte says, she speaks to groups of incoming athletes about the dynamics of intimate relationships.

Whyte goes over what constitutes a healthy and mutually respectful relationship. She goes over what constitutes a manipulative and abusive relationship.

Don't stereotype, Whyte emphasizes -- athletes can be victims, too.

When it comes to education in this delicate but important area, Whyte says, "I do think the Athletic Department is trying to go in the right direction."

I've learned two things during all those hours in court.

First, a courtroom is the one place you don't want to be if you want your private life to remain private.

Second, often times the healthiest sexual relationship is the one you walk away from before it begins.

Saturday's Hawaii-Fresno State football game at Bulldog Stadium isn't a sellout, but it's fast heading that way.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, about 5,800 tickets remained unsold, according to Paul Ladwig, associate athletic director for broadcasting and external relations.

By 5 p.m. Tuesday, only 4,700 tickets remained. Bulldog Stadium seats 41,031, but the university (as it did for Wisconsin) usually sells a limited number of standing room tickets if the demand is there.

At about 4 p.m. Wednesday, with coach Pat Hill's team practicing nearby, two windows at the Bulldog Stadium ticket office were busy. The line of customers extended into the parking lot. Everyone in line smiled and nodded yes when asked if they were buying football tickets.

What's interesting, though, is for which game. Several customers said they already had their Hawaii tickets. One said he was buying for Idaho on Oct. 11; another said he was buying for Nevada on Nov. 7.

The trend is clear: As long as the Bulldogs keep winning, demand for tickets to all home games will only grow.

From a financial standpoint, this week may be one of the most important for the Fresno State athletic department in 2008-09.

Fresno State hosts Hawaii on Saturday in the Bulldogs' Western Athletic Conference opener. Will the Red Wave produce a sellout? If so, it could set a trend for the rest of the season.

Coach Pat Hill's team certainly deserves fan support: 3-1 record, two big road wins over BCS opponents, gutty defense, exciting special teams, QB Tom Brandstater and RB Ryan Mathews and TE Bear Pascoe lighting up the scoreboard.

Not to mention top 25 rankings and an outside chance at a BCS bowl invitation if they run the table.