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BYU Football: Cougars heading north for their bowl matchup

By Shaun Gordon

BOISE, ID - DECEMBER 22: Spuddy Buddy, the mascot of the Idaho Potato Commission cheers during second half action between the Colorado State Rams and the Idaho Vandals at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 22, 2016 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Idaho won the game 61-50. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - DECEMBER 22: Spuddy Buddy, the mascot of the Idaho Potato Commission cheers during second half action between the Colorado State Rams and the Idaho Vandals at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 22, 2016 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Idaho won the game 61-50. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) /
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BYU Football will travel north to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl to take on Western Michigan. Not the most flashy destination, but much better than none.

Once the College Football Playoff was announced on Sunday morning the rest of the bowl dominoes started to fall.

And for BYU Football those dominoes are falling north.

BYU will be playing the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 21st, taking on Western Michigan. The Cougars are filling the Mountain West Conference’s slot.

This bowl destination comes as a bit of a surprise, since the MWC had more than enough bowl-eligible teams to fill their slots. But San Diego State accepted the at-large slot for the Frisco Bowl and Wyoming seems to be left in the cold, as the bowl in Boise opted for BYU instead.

The Cougars can now start preparing for their upcoming opponent. Western Michigan went 7-5 on the season, playing in streaks throughout the year. After losing their first two games against Top 25 teams (Syracuse and Michigan) they rattled off six straight wins. Three consecutive losses followed before the Broncos topped Northern Illinois 28-21 in the regular season finale.

The same Northern Illinois that beat BYU.

It’s hardly a flashy opponent for the Cougars, but it will be a good litmus test for BYU to see where the program stands after their own rollercoaster season.

And it’s hardly a flashy bowl to be in period. It’s a pre-Christmas game on a Friday afternoon, with a payout of $950,000. The two teams that have played in the bowl the most are Boise State and Utah State (four times each).

But when you’re 6-6 in a season with more bowl-eligible teams than bowl slots, any bowl game is better than none.

Next. BYU Women's Volleyball is Sweet Sixteen bound again. dark

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

  • Western Michigan vs. BYU – Friday, December 21 at 2:00pm MT (ESPN)
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