Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Washington State vs. Colorado State
Albuquerque, N.M.
Dec. 21, 2013
The bowl season kicks off with two teams that haven’t played in the postseason in quite some time. Washington State is making its first appearance in a bowl since 2003 and Colorado State is making its first appearance since 2006.
This game has the potential to be high scoring, especially since Washington State, which is known for its high-octane passing offense, has one of the worst defenses in the country, and Colorado State’s offense really came on late in the year.
CSU running back Kapri Bibbs led the Mountain West in rushing with 254 carries for 1,572 yards and 28 touchdowns. And Bibbs has done a really good job of exploiting terrible rushing defenses. He had 312 yards against Nevada, which ranks 122nd nationally in rushing defense, 201 against Wyoming (107th), 147 against UTEP (117th), 137 against Hawaii (104th), and 291 yards against New Mexico (120th).
Even though Washington State ranks 84th nationally against the run, it might have a good chance of slowing Bibbs down. That’s because Bibbs has only played against three rushing defenses better than Washington State’s – Alabama, Boise State and Utah State – and he managed a total of 135 yards against them.
MASCOT FIGHT
In the battle of mascots, there really is no contest. A cougar (Washington State) would take down a ram (Colorado State) with relative ease. Cougars are faster, quicker, some would even say smarter. A ram wouldn't stand a chance.
PREDICTIONS
Graham: Colorado State 48, Washington State 45. Both of these teams are going to be excited to play in a bowl, so I think this will be a high-scoring game. However, I like Colorado State’s defense a little bit more than Washington State’s.
Nick: Washington State 33, Colorado State 23. Conner Halliday throws 100 passes while Mike Leach mutters something about wishing he was playing in a bowl with pirate ships nearby.
Sam: Colorado State 38, Washington State 31. The Cougars 101st-ranked defense will have all sorts of trouble containing CSU's Kapri Bibbs on the ground and Garrett Grayson through the air. Conner Halliday will keep it close, but Mike Leach's team will fall short.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!Follow @YahooDrSaturday