Washington State Cougars On SI

Bowl Projections Send Washington State to Warmer Weather

After earning eligibility for the postseason, the Washington State Cougars will likely get the chance to play football in the sunshine this holiday season.
Joe Londergan|
Nov 29, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars defensive back Colby Humphrey (2) makes the jugging interception against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State Cougars won 32-8. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Nov 29, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars defensive back Colby Humphrey (2) makes the jugging interception against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State Cougars won 32-8. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

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Washington State Cougars

In Jimmy Rogers' first season leading the Washington State football program, the Cougars were able to win six games and gain bowl eligibility for the postseason.

"This has been a long long season for us and uh dealt with a lot of injuries and we have the opportunity to go close it out here in December. So I'm excited for that," Cougars head coach Jimmy Rogers noted after the win. "The more practice we get with the youth of this football team, the better we'll get. And that's what the bowl games do. You're able to continue to consistently get better as a football team and grow the youth of your program. So, I'm excited for that. There's a lot of young talent on this team and a lot of guys have worked extremely hard to become bowl eligible right now."

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The two current Pac-12 teams, as well as the ten schools that left the Pac-12 two years ago, are all eligible for the Holiday Bowl, LA Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Independence Bowl, Sun Bowl, and Alamo Bowl. They are also eligible for the ESPN bowl pool.

Following WSU's win, ESPN "bowl gurus" Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach released their projections for every FBS bowl game.

Bonagura projects a matchup between Hawaii and Washington State in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. That contest is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT on ESPN

An appearance in the Hawaii Bowl would be a first for Washington State. However, a matchup with Timmy Chang's team would be the seventh all-time meeting. The Cougars won a 42-10 contest in 2024 in Pullman.

MORE: Washington State Dominate Oregon State in Pullman To Reach Bowl Eligibility

Schlabah projects the Cougs to play the New Mexico Lobos in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, December 27. Kickoff in that contest is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. PT on ESPN.

The Cougs have played in the New Mexico Bowl just once before: a 48-45 loss to Colorado State in 2013 under Mike Leach. As far as previous meetings with the Lobos, WSU have taken two of three. The two sides met in 2024 with the Lobos taking a 38-35 win in Albuquerque.

Bowl matchups are expected to be announced on Sunday, December 7, following the conclusion of conference championship weekend and the announcement of the College Football Playoff Bracket.

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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.

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