Washington State nearly didn’t even earn bowl-eligibility during Jimmy Rogers’ first – and only – season as head coach.
Washington State was 5-6 going into its matchup with Pac-12 foe Oregon State, which beat WSU earlier in the year, in the regular season finale. The Cougars had started the year with wins over Idaho and San Diego State, then lost to North Texas and Washington. After beating Colorado State, the Cougars played Power Four opponents Ole Miss and Virginia close, losing those games by three and two points, respectively. After defeating Toledo, the Cougars lost to Oregon State the first time these teams played in 2025, a disappointing result considering Oregon State was 1-7 going into that matchup and had fired its head coach.
But the Cougars bounced back by winning two of its last three games, first against Louisiana Tech – then losing at James Madison – before beating OSU 32-8 to earn bowl-eligibility.
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But Rogers is now moving on to Iowa State. So will the Cougars (6-6) manage to win the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?
The Cougars will be facing a solid team in Utah State (6-6), which is going to the Pac-12 in 2026. The Aggies are another team that fought all year to get to this point.
In their first season with Bronco Mendenhall as their head coach, the Aggies never won or lost more than three games in succession. They started the year with a win over UTEP but then lost at Texas A&M. USU won back-to-back games against Air Force and McNeese, but then it lost back-to-back games against Vanderbilt and Hawaii.
USU won three of its last six games against San Jose State, Nevada, and Fresno State with losses to New Mexico, UNLV, and Boise State.
And now the Aggies are aiming to finish the season strong with a bowl win.
Washington State vs. Utah State Betting Odds
Utah State is a -1.5 college football betting odds favorite against Washington State, with the Over/Under being 49.5 as of this writing. The moneyline for Washington State is -105, while it’s -115 for Utah State.
Washington State vs. Utah State On TV
The matchup between Washington State and Utah State will be televised on ESPN. The game will kick off at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 22. The contest is taking place at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
Washington State vs. Utah State Prediction
I predict Washington State will win and therefore cover the 1.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 49.5 total points.
I expect Wazzu’s defense will rise to the occasion. The Cougars haven’t allowed anyone to score more than 21 points since they lost the Apple Cup against Washington in September.
In fact, the Cougars have averaged nine points per game allowed in their last five outings.
That’s a pretty incredible number. I think WSU’s depth on that side of the ball will show up and will help the Cougars win this bowl.
