What are you doing on Monday afternoon? If the answer is not, “watching the Washington State Cougars face the Utah State Aggies in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl,” then you are doing Monday afternoon wrong.
This is why bowl games are delightful. They so beautifully fill an otherwise quiet afternoon when no one wants to be working anymore, anyway.
My Washington State vs. Utah State predictions expect one team to share your ambivalence about your supposed job.
Read more in my college football picks for December 22.
Washington State vs Utah State predictions for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Who will win the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?
Neither of these teams fared well in one-score games this season against FBS competition. Washington State went 0-4 outright in such tense moments, while Utah State went 1-2.
None of that is encouraging, but obviously, a game with a spread of 1.5 points expects someone to win a one-score worry. Put that faith in the team with an established head coach rather than an interim head coach who was an FCS coordinator last year.
Washington State vs Utah State best bet: Utah State -1.5 (-108)
One team went 4-0 against the spread in November, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by an average of 11 points per game. Then again, the other went 3-0 ATS in its last three games, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by an average of 11.8 points.
But now one team is building toward a second season under Bronco Mendenhall, while Washington State is suddenly and rather unexpectedly without its head coach. That shift very well may yield ambivalence in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
That is more of an abstract thought than should usually be trusted in college football betting, but bowl games lend themselves to such chaos.
Utah State has largely avoided opt-outs, while Washington State will be without its starting running back, at the absolute least. In all likelihood, more opt-outs will hit the Cougars’ roster as kickoff nears.
Former Washington State head coach Jimmy Rogers’s departure was more unanticipated than most carousel moves, just one season into his Cougars tenure. Its psychological impact may thus be greater than most coaching changes. These players saw a path to growth, particularly after giving many opponents fits this season. Instead, this roster is likely to be gutted.
In comparison, Bronco Mendenhall is one successful year into a rebuild, and thus, he has a good amount of program buy-in working for him this month.
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Washington State vs Utah State same-game parlay
Doubting Washington State’s motivation is the same as doubting Washington State’s discipline.
Against a pass-happy offense that dropped back to throw the ball at the 24th-highest relative rate in the country, per CFB-graphs.com, a lack of discipline could yield a pile of explosive plays.
Washington State vs Utah State SGP
- Utah State -1.5
- Over 49.5
Washington State vs Utah State odds
- Spread: Washington State +1.5 (-110) | Utah State -1.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Washington State +100 | Utah State -118
- Over/Under: Over 49.5 (-110) | Under 49.5 (-110)
Washington State vs Utah State trend to know
Utah State went 10-2 against the spread this season, with its only ATS losses coming at Hawaii and at New Mexico, two of the most unconventional offenses in the country. Find more college football betting trends for Washington State vs Utah State.
How to watch Washington State vs Utah State
| Location | Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID |
| Date | Monday, December 22, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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