Cougars Should Be Favored In Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Washington State vs. Utah State, 2:00 ET

A little bit of butter, some salt, pepper, sour cream, maybe some chives, and even a bit of bacon and cheese. That’s how I like my baked potatoes, how about you? What do potatoes have to do with College Football and sports betting, you ask? Great question. Well, today, we have two squads, the Washington State Cougars and the Utah State Aggies, squaring off in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The only right way to watch this game is with a baked potato and a ticket in hand.

Washington State finished the year 6-6 in the regular season and now gets the opportunity to finish above .500 with a win here. They’ve had a pretty interesting schedule this season, starting with wins over Idaho and San Diego State. Neither team is particularly impressive, but it is still nice to get wins you’re supposed to have. They then allowed 59 points in back-to-back weeks against North Texas and Washington, both of which are pretty good squads. They beat Colorado State on the road before playing a couple of very competitive games against Ole Miss and Virginia. Both teams were ranked when Washington State had to face them. They lost 24-21 to the Rebels at Ole Miss, and 22-20 in Virginia. That’s a good result for this team. After those games, they took down Toledo, lost a close road game to Oregon State, and then beat Louisiana Tech. Their final two games were against James Madison, another College Football Playoff team, where they lost 24-20, and then against Oregon State in a 32-8 victory. 

Nov 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; The Utah Utes celebrate a touchdown against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah State also is playing to try and assure themselves of a winning season as they are 6-6 as well. I suppose it is only fair to go through the Aggies schedule as well to showcase what they have done this season. They beat UTEP to start the year with an easy win. Then they lost on the road to a ranked and strong Texas A&M team. They beat the Air Force 49-30 and McNeese 48-7 in back-to-back weeks. Then their schedule got a bit tougher as they had to start going on the road more consistently. They dropped back-to-back games to Vanderbilt and Hawaii, and neither game was particularly close. They took down San Jose State, then lost to New Mexico. They dominated Nevada in Utah before heading to UNLV and losing in double overtime. Fresno State gave Utah State their lone road victory this season. The Aggies closed out their year with a close loss at home to Boise State, dropping the game 25-24. 

The biggest story here for bettors is who is staying and who is leaving. Washington State does have a few things to mention – they should be the favorite, but they are losing their head coach who will not coach the team in this one and he is heading to Iowa State. Their backup quarterback, a cornerback, and linebacker are all out for this game. It is also possible that they won’t have their center, Brock Dieu. Utah doesn’t have those issues, which is why the line has moved in their favor. I think it has swung too much, though. I like Washington State +3 here. I think their starting quarterback is good enough, and they’ve shown the ability to stay close in the majority of games. Sure, there is a different quarterback, and that could throw off the offense a bit, but it isn’t like he will be installing a new offense altogether. Give me the Cougars the points. 

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