Battle for the Blue: The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Of all of the great and prestigious bowl games that take place in the months of December and January, there is only one that is played on blue turf, and it is the longest running cold weather bowl game in college football: the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl! Albertsons Stadium’s famous “Smurf Turf” has played host to this illustrious bowl game since 1997 when it was first introduced as the Humanitarian Bowl, but is now America’s most important sporting event to be sponsored by starchy tuberous vegetables. This year’s Scrum for the Spuds is contested by the Utah State Aggies and the Washington State Cougars.

Battle on the Blue

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is one of the most iconic bowl games on the calendar that has gained a sort of notoriety for how unique it is. While most bowl games are an excuse for teams to take a football-centric trip to warm weather states in the cold months of the year, the Potato Bowl shuns that notion all together. The Smurf Turf’s biggest event is in a location that is neither tropical nor exotic, and demands nothing but grit and toughness from those who would rise to its challenge. A number of great players have met this challenge head-on over the years, including Matt Ryan, Colin Kaepernick, Zach Wilson and Josh Allen. It’s hard to pick a most iconic moment for the game, but one could look at Fresno State’s overtime victory over Virginia in 2004, Boston College upsetting Boise State on their own field the next year, or the most recent Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where Northern Illinois defeated Fresno State in a double-overtime thriller.

The Future of the Pac-12

Despite both being members of the new-look Pac-12 in 2026, this will be only the sixth meeting between Washington State and Utah State in their history. The first meeting between these two teams dates all the way back to 1949 where the Cougars won in Pullman 33-0, and a similar result would occur the next year in the only game in the series to take place in Utah. The Aggies got their first win against the Cougars in 1961 with a 34-14 upset victory, and then their second in the next meeting sixty years later in 2021. Washington State won the most recent meeting which took place in 2024. This is a more even series than many people would expect, but these two teams are going to become very familiar with each other in the near future.

Meet the Cougars

The home team on the scoreboard will be Wazzu, who had a tumultuous road to their 6-6 bowl eligibility. Their season included a blowout loss to archrival Washington in the Apple Cup, a 10-7 loss to fellow Pac-2 Oregon State, and losses to CFP teams Ole Miss and James Madison. However, they were able to defeat Oregon State in their second meeting for the final game of the season to get that crucial sixth win. The Cougars were coached this season by Jimmy Rogers, who came up to the FBS level after two dominant seasons coaching South Dakota State. At the end of the 2025 season, Rogers left the team to become the new head coach at Iowa State, leaving offensive coordinator Kirby Moore to take over as interim head coach for the Potato Bowl. A large contingent of Cougars have entered the portal. The Cougars weren’t initially going to let transferring players participate in the bowl game, but so many have entered that they are forced to allow those who want to to play.

The leading QB for Wazzu this season has been Zevi Eckhaus, who has thrown for 1760 yards and 12 TDs, and rushed for an additional 337 yards and 8 TDs. His favorite target Tony Freeman has entered the portal, leaving WR Joshua Meredith to lead the receiving corps. Leading rusher Kirby Vorhees has also entered the portal, and has confirmed he won’t participate in the game. Running back Angel Johnson will take over lead back duties, although he only has 69 carries on the season. The team’s leading tackler is linebacker Parker McKenna who will be available, as will 7-sack defensive end Isaac Terrell.

Meet the Aggies

On the other side, the Utah State Aggies are led by head coach Bronco Mendenhall in his first season with the program. The veteran head coach is most well known for his ten-year stint with BYU from 2005-2015, as well as stops at Virginia and New Mexico since then. The Aggies had a tough go of it in the regular season to get to 6-6, and had to win some gritty battles against Air Force, San Jose State and Fresno State to get to this point. This will be the program's sixth appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, the most appearances by any school. In those five previous games, they are 1-4.

The Aggies will be led by Senior QB Bryson Barnes, who has been a relatively efficient passer over the course of the season with 2,687 yards and 18 TDs, with only 4 interceptions. This has also been Barne’s best season in his career on the ground, as he also leads the team in rushing with 733 yards and 9 TDs. Senior Miles Davis (no relation) has been the primary running back with 724 yards. The team’s leading receiver has been Braden Pegan with just short of a thousand yards at 926, but will not participate in the game as the team’s only transfer portal opt-out. Senior Brady Boyd will inherit a large number of targets as a result. The unquestioned leader of the defense has been Senior John Miller, whose 109 total tackles included 7.5 sacks, both leading the team.

This year’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl promises to be another one to remember as these two western programs prepare to Battle for the Blue. The turf is smurfing, and the teams are teeming, and regardless of how you prefer to prepare your potatoes, this game will answer the question once and for all: is the new Pac-12 going to just the new Mountain West or what?