Which bowl game will WSU play in this season?

PULLMAN – Washington State might play its bowl game on the moon.

Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but as bowl season approaches and the Cougars wonder about which one they’ll head to, the options seem boundless. Like all traditional Pac-12 teams, WSU (6-6) is still associated with the conference’s bowl tie-ins, which narrows down the list a decent amount.

Here’s where things stand: Oregon is all but a lock for the College Football Playoff. Colorado, Oregon State, Stanford and UCLA missed out on bowl eligibility. That leaves the 6-6 Cougars at the bottom of the pecking order of the Pac-12 bowl slate, behind Utah, Washington, USC, Arizona State, Arizona and Cal.

As far as that list goes, that plants WSU in the Independence Bowl, which is slated for Dec. 30 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Cougars’ opponent? According to USA Today Sports, it would be Louisiana Tech … which WSU already played this season, winning that game in a 28-7 dismantling.

Would bowl brass be interested in such a reunion, especially considering WSU won the first matchup so handily? It seems dubious at best.

But in that game, the Cougars could also play Louisiana. Not only would that be a new matchup for WSU, but it would also give coaches a chance to expand their recruiting footprint in Louisiana, where they signed four players on Wednesday’s signing day. Could the Cougs strengthen their pipeline with an appearance in the Bayou State? What about with a win in that bowl game?

The Cougars may land outside of the traditional Pac-12 bowl tie-ins and find themselves in an ESPN-sponsored bowl, which would be considered an at-large berth, which happens when bowl organizers pass over a conference’s bowl-eligible teams. That’s one way WSU has been linked to what seems like the most likely scenario: the New Mexico Bowl, which is set for Dec. 27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In that one, the Cougars would be facing host school New Mexico, which would all but amount to a home game for the Lobos. In head coach Jason Eck’s first season, UNM finished the regular season 9-3, just missing the Mountain West championship game. Maybe the game doesn’t sound very appealing to WSU, which in effect be playing a road game, but this is also worth considering: Would the game atmosphere have that effect? Or with lower stakes, would things feel more relaxed and fun?

In any case, several outlets have reported the New Mexico Bowl as a possibility for WSU, including the Athletic. Since then, that publication has also logged a new prediction for the Cougars, which is the First Responder Bowl against Arkansas State on Dec. 26 in Dallas … . But consider that prediction scuttled. Arkansas State will take part in the newly-minted Xbox Bowl instead.

Here’s one option that could materialize: The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, which is played on Boise State’s blue turf. It’s geographically close for the Cougars, who played the Broncos there last fall. The game traditionally pits a Mountain West team against a MAC team, but if no MAC teams are selected, look for WSU to potentially land back on The Blue.