Bowl Season Kickoff: The LA Bowl

TIME TO GO BOWLING!

Bowl season officially kicks off on Saturday, December 13th where the Boise State Broncos will take on the Washington Huskies in America’s most prestigious bowl game to be played indoors in Los Angeles: The Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk! This is the fifth and final year that the LA Bowl will take place at SoFi Stadium, and therefore is a battle for Rob Gronkowski’s very heart and soul.

HISTORY OF THE LA BOWL:

The first LA Bowl was played back in 2021 between the Utah State Aggies and the Oregon State Beavers. This test of might was originally a battle between teams from the Pac-12 and the Mountain West, but with the initial demise of the Pac-12 came entries from the Big Ten and the ACC. The teams that entered from those eastern conferences were, however, former Pac-12 teams. While this is a battle between Power 5 (minus one) and Group of 5, Group of 5 teams have won three of the four runnings of this illustrious event. Perhaps the most impressive feat in LA Bowl history came from Fresno State running back Jordan Mims accumulating 236 all-purpose yards back in 2022 as the Bulldogs pounded the Washington State Cougars into submission that year, 29 to 6.

The final combatants in this Battle for Los Angeles in 2025 will be the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West, and the Washington Huskies of the Big Ten. Interestingly, the Smurf Turfers are poised to become the only team to make two LA Bowl appearances, with their previous outing ending in a loss to the UCLA Bruins in 2023. Boise State will be joining the new Pac-12 in 2026, while their opponent Washington left the conference in 2024. UCLA, who defeated Boise in 2023 and left for the Big Ten alongside Washington the year after, will be calling SoFi Stadium home in 2026 after abandoning one of the world’s most iconic sporting venues: the Rose Bowl. By using the transitive property, you could, and certainly should, say that the 2025 LA Bowl is of equal prestige as the Grandaddy of Them All.

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST'S NEWEST AND HOTTEST RIVALRY:

Washington and Boise State have met six times in their collective history, with the Huskies holding the advantage in the all-time series 4 games to 2. Despite the two schools occupying neighboring states, the first meeting between the two wasn’t until 2007, where Washington won 24-10. Boise would get their revenge five years later when the two titans of the Northwest met in the Las Vegas Bowl, where the Broncos galloped to a thrilling 28-26 victory. This will be the third time that these two schools have met in a bowl game, having met once more in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2019 where Washington got the better of their foe, 38-7. With Gronk in attendance, this will undoubtedly be the most important meeting between these teams to date.

MEET THE HUSKIES:

For the Huskies, who will be acting as the home team in this one, their second ride through the Big Ten resulted in an 8-4 season, with losses to Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and their archrival Oregon. They did, however, defeat their other archrival Washington State for the Apple Cup, so that has to count for something. The Huskies are coached by Jedd Fisch, who is 14-11 in his two years with the team. Fisch came over from a head coaching job at Arizona after Kalen DeBoer left to helm Alabama. He was 16-21 with the Wildcats.

Their team is led by sophomore quarterback Desmond Williams, who boasts a solid 158.7 passer rating on the season. His favorite most reliable target has been redshirt junior Denzel Boston, who leads the team’s receiving corps with 10 touchdowns on 755 yards. PFF projects Boston to be a first rounder in this year’s NFL draft. The Huskies use a balanced rushing attack with three runners taking over 100 carries on the season, one of whom is QB Desmond Williams. The other two are Arizona transfer senior Jonah Coleman, and true sophomore Adam Mohommed. Coleman has been the more used of the two, racking up 673 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season, while Mohammed has been the more efficient, averaging exactly 5 yards per carry. The Husky defense is led by junior Alex McLaughlin, who has burst onto the scene this year with 90 total tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown.

MEET THE BRONCOS:

The Purple and Gold will be challenged by the “visiting” Boise State Broncos who finished the season at 9-4, winning the Mountain West Championship. They suffered four difficult losses including their opener to South Florida, as well as in South Bend to Notre Dame, at home against Fresno State, and at San Diego State against the Aztecs. Their Mountain West Championship game victory against UNLV was convincing, however, as they defeated the Runnin’ Rebels 38-21. Boise State’s head coach is Spencer Danielson, who has helmed the team for three seasons, winning the Mountain West in all three.

The Blue and Orange utilize a strong rushing attack, with sophomore Dylan Riley leading the way with 1,091 yards and 10 touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Sire Gaines has also been productive, marching to 795 yards and 8 touchdowns. Both backs are averaging over five yards per carry. The offense is helmed by redshirt junior Maddux Madsen, whose production dipped a bit this year after leading the team to the College Football Playoff in 2024. He still boasts an above average 142.0 passer rating on the season, and has thrown for 2,283 yards with 18 touchdown throws. The team's leading receiver is senior Latrell Caples, who has brought in 46 receptions for 547 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Broncos possess a strong offensive line, with tackle Kage Casey and center Mason Randolph drawing interest from the NFL. The defense is led by Ty Benefield, a junior defensive back. His statline boasts 98 total tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

The stage is set, the teams are ready, and I cannot stress enough that the Gronk is Gronking. Two teams enter, one team leaves…I guess one team is leaving anyway because Boise is leaving their conference to go to the new Pac-12 next year. It’s almost time for some real bowl game football, so get ready to get Bucked Up at the Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk on Saturday, December 13th at 6pm eastern. IT'S TIME TO GO BOWLING BABYYYYY!!!!!!