WHO: No. 16 Michigan State (9-3) vs. No. 18 Washington State (9-3)
WHAT: The 40th Holiday Bowl
WHEN: 9 p.m. ET on FS1
WHERE: SDCCU Stadium in San Diego, California
THE SKINNY: The most eccentric coach in the country takes on the most stern-faced as a clash of styles meet down in Southern California.
The Cougars are back in the Holiday Bowl for the second straight season and hoping things go much better than last year’s edition, where they looked awful in a loss to a Minnesota team that had literally quit a few weeks prior. This will be the swan song for quarterback Luke Falk, who holds just about every Pac-12 passing record and could be set to move up some more on the all-time FBS lists with a good outing.
Wazzu isn’t just a pass-happy team with Mike Leach’s Air Raid though as the defense is one of the best units you’ll find on the West Coast. They’re lead up front by All-American Hercules Mata’afa (who will sit the first half due to a targeting penalty) and are ranked 15th in total defense this year despite playing a bunch of prolific offenses in the regular season.
A few Michigan State fans might not be happy at ending up in the Holiday Bowl but that would be a disservice to the terrific turnaround in East Lansing after hitting the mat hard in 2016. Quarterback Brian Lewerke might not have the numbers his counterpart in this game has but he’s been an excellent fit in the offense and thrown for 17 touchdowns. He also brings a huge threat with his legs and is the second leading rusher on the team with nearly 500 yards and five scores on the ground.
This is a Mark Dantonio-coached team so you know the defense is pretty solid as well. The Spartans are in the top 25 in a number of categories and safety David Dowell has five picks to lead another salty secondary that may be young but loves to make plays.
Both sides have been up and down this season so this game could unfold a number of different ways down in San Diego. MSU has done well when they can play the underdog card and you can bet they will as they sneak out a hard-fought victory in the Holiday Bowl.
THE PICK: Michigan State 28, Washington State 24
