Colorado State will face Idaho in the 20th edition of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 22 in Boise, Idaho. It is the fourth consecutive bowl appearance for the Rams and second under head coach Mike Bobo. For the Vandals, it is their first bowl game since 2009 and first under head coach Paul Petrino.
Colorado State (7-5) finished fifth in a strong Mountain West-Mountain Division; only one team in the division finished below .500 overall or in conference play. Idaho (8-4) finished fourth in the Sun Belt; their eight wins this season were more than the team compiled in Petrino’s first three years at the helm (six).
Idaho is led by punter/kicker Austin Rehkow, who is perfect on the year in PATs and averages 42 yards per punt, which has him on NFL scouts’ radar. The Rams know something about the field position game, though, with their own weapon in the punt game, Hayden Hunt. Hunt was a Ray Guy Award finalist in 2015 and semifinalist in 2016.
The X-factor for Colorado State, according to Campus Insiders, will be quarterback Nick Stevens. The redshirt junior was an honorable mention All-Mountain West player in a season that saw him lose, then reclaim the starting role. How well Stevens can connect with first-team All-MW wide receiver Michael Gallup in the cold December weather in Boise could be the difference in the game.
Campus Insiders predicts a Colorado State win in Boise, despite Idaho playing in their own backyard. The Rams are winners of four of their last five games and have averaged 47.4 points per game over that span.
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl kicks off at 5 p.m. on Dec. 22. The game will air on ESPN and on the Colorado State Radio Network, including AM 1340 | FM 104.7 in Denver.
