Colorado State is set to participate in their fourth consecutive bowl game after finishing the regular season 7-5, 5-3 in the Mountain West. The only question is which bowl game the Rams will be featured in.
With many conference championships still to be played over the weekend, the outlook on bowl season is not yet clear. Bowl games will be officially announced Sunday Dec. 4, the selection show for the College Football Playoff can be seen on ESPN.
Until then, here is a look at where Colorado State is expected to fall:
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
A common prediction being seen for CSU is an appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The bowl is played at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, home of the Boise State Broncos. ESPN, FOX Sports and CBS Sports have all predicted Colorado State to head to Boise on Dec. 22 for the Potato Bowl, however the opponent varies amongst the outlets.
ESPN predicts CSU to play either Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (6-6, 6-2 MAC), or the Central Michigan Chippewas (6-6, 3-5 MAC). Miami (Ohio) heads into bowl season following a wild ride to their regular season. After starting the year without a non-conference win and a dismal 0-6 record, the Redhawks rallied midseason to win their final six games en route to becoming bowl eligible.
Central Michigan on the other hand was inconsistent throughout the year. With a 6-6 record bolstered by a controversial win over Oklahoma State in week two, the Chippewas were hot and cold all year long. Their record is highlighted by the 30-27 win over the Cowboys, and also easily beating Mountain West foe UNLV 44-21.
FOX Sports joined ESPN in predicting Colorado State to play Central Michigan in the Idaho Potato Bowl, while CBS Sports predicted the Rams will take on Toledo Rockets (9-3, 6-2 MAC).
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl
Joining the Idaho Potato Bowl, the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl is a realistic option for CSU. Typically the Cactus Bowl pits a Big-12 and Pac-12 school against each other, however with the Pac-12 only having six schools bowl eligible and the likes of Washington and Colorado likely tied up in the College Football Playoff and Rose Bowl, respectively, there may be an opening for Colorado State to take the Pac-12 spot in the Cactus Bowl.
SB Nation, Sports Illustrated and College Football News all predict the Rams to play in the Cactus Bowl. SB Nation and College Football News predict Baylor (6-5, 3-5 Big-12) will join Colorado State. The Bears have one regular season game left against West Virginia on Dec. 3.
Sports Illustrated has Colorado State facing Kansas State (7-5, 5-3 Big-12) in the potential matchup.
The Cactus Bowl would be played at the MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on Dec. 27.
Collegian sports editor Chad Deutschman can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @ChadDeutschman
Steven B • Dec 1, 2016 at 12:57 pm
I would love to see the Rams play the Chippewas! It would be a pretty big deal out here in MI. On top of that, while I’m a CSU alum my brother is a CMU alum.