Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Preview: Utah State vs Washington State Picks & Odds

• Utah State and Washington State face off on Monday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
• Currently, the Utah State vs Washington State odds favor the Aggies by 1.5 points
• Read below for the Utah State vs Washington State picks and the latest betting odds

When it comes to the hierarchy of bowl games, most gravitate toward the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, or even the Orange Bowl. Now, having an irrational love of food leads us to potatoes. From bombas to mashed potatoes to potato sticks, we pay respect to the Idaho potato by previewing the game between the Utah State Aggies and Washington State Cougars in the 2025 edition of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

One team will get to say they finished over .500 while the other will not. The game kicks off Monday just after 2:00 pm ET on ESPN from Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.

Utah State vs Washington State Preview

This game is expected to be extremely close. Both Utah State and Washington State come in at 6-6. Washington State enters the “New” Pac-12 conference next season. This season, the Independent, played against a mix of several conference and Oregon State twice. The Cougars struggled mightily early in the season but played three different ranked teams tight (losing by a combined nine points). Arguably, this Washington State team could have a very different record.

Defensively, Washington State was solid giving up only 20.2 points per game (27th). The issues were more on offense where they scored 21.6 points a contest (112th). There is a little bit of a wrinkle when it comes to the Cougars and that has to do with the coaching.

Rodgers was immediately replaced by Jesse Bobbitt. Bobbitt was the defensive coordinator for Washington State in 2025. It was said that Rodgers was going to stay awhile in Pullman but he only coached for one season. Bobbitt, by the way, will leave after coaching this game to Iowa State to become Rodgers’ defensive coordinator in Ames.

Washington State and Utah State will become conference mates next year. Bronco Mendenhall will be coaching against Kirby Moore next season. Moore was named the permanent coach of the Cougars for 2026. A backdrop of chaos greets Washington State. Out of the 13 Washington State players who entered the portal, only starting running back Kirby Voorhees will not play. Expect the Cougars to fall back to Angel Johnson, who started the first six games.

Zevi Eckhaus is their dual-purpose quarterback who has 20 combined touchdowns (12 passing, eight rushing). However, he did throw nine interceptions and anchored a middle of the road offense. As for Utah State, they had their moments too but gave up a whopping 99 points to two ranked opponents this season (44 to Texas A&M and 55 to Vanderbilt). The games were entertaining and not vanilla.

Utah State has kept their team largely in tact with no major players opting out. It is a big reason why they are a slight favorite in this game. Stability means a lot when two teams play in a bowl game.

Utah State vs Washington State Picks

• Utah State -1.5 (-102) at DraftKings Sportsbook
• Game Total over 49.0 (-110) at Fanatics

DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK

Offer

T&Cs

Sign Up Today & Receive Up to
$1,050 in Bonuses!

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in ONT/OR/NH. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. 1 per new customer. Must register new account to receive reward Token. Must select Token BEFORE placing min. $5 bet to receive $300 in Bonus Bets if your bet wins. Min. -500 odds req. Token and Bonus Bets are single-use and non-withdrawable. Token expires 2/1/26. Bonus Bets expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 1/25/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

LOCK IN PROMO

SIGNUP PROMO

SIGN UP
& GET $1,050

BONUS BETS + DEPOSIT BONUS

GET PROMO

Now, the spread has moved but has mostly stayed around 1.5 to 2 points in favor of Utah State for Monday afternoon. The Aggies pass the ball a lot. They ranked 24th in highest relative pass rate. Bryson Barnes emerged from the quarterback competition and has Braden Pegan and Brady Boyd. Both can make defenders miss and any discipline lapses could be fatal for Washington State.

Another X-factor will be Miles Davis. Davis averaged 5.8 yards a carry and had three touchdown receptions to go along with seven rushing touchdowns. The Cougars could have their hands full.

For those reasons alone, Utah State is my pick to pile up enough points to cover and see that game total hit 50 or above.

Utah State vs Washington State Odds

Utah State is favored by 1.5 points with a -112 moneyline, implying a 52.83% win probability for the Aggies. Washington State comes in as -108 underdogs with a 47.17% implied win probability.

The total is set at 49.5 points, with slight juice on the under, though the over is a better bet at that number.

Odds as of December 21, 2025, at DraftKings Sportsbook. Examine the best college football betting apps for Utah State-Washington State.

Utah State vs Washington State Head-to-Head Trends

Here are the last two results from the soon-to-be conference foes.

• November 9th, 2024: Washington State 49, Utah State 28
• September 4th, 2021: Utah State 26, Washington State 23

Expect Utah State to come out throwing on Monday afternoon at a stadium they are very familiar with. Playing there six times gives them another edge against Washington State.