COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West has placed seven teams in bowl games in 2025, marking the 18th time in the last 19 years with at least five MW teams competing in the postseason, with the lone exception being the 2020 Covid-affected season.
Boise State (Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk), Fresno State (Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop), Hawai‘i (Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl), New Mexico (Rate Bowl), San Diego State (Isleta New Mexico Bowl), UNLV (Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl) and Utah State (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) will represent the Mountain West in the postseason.
Including the seven this season, the Mountain West has earned 140 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 70-60 (.538) all-time record (three games were canceled). Over the last 21 seasons, the league has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup five times and owns the second-best winning percentage in bowl games among the FBS conferences with a 63-52 mark (.548) mark.
Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk | Boise State vs. Washington
Saturday, Dec. 13 | Inglewood, Calif. | 5 p.m. PT | ABC
2025 Mountain West champion Boise State (9-4, 6-2 MW) will take on Washington (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) in the Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk on Saturday, Dec. 13, in Inglewood, California. Receiving votes in both The Associated Press and AFCA polls, the Broncos are bowl eligible for the 28th consecutive season, the second-longest active streak in the FBS, and will be appearing in the LA Bowl for the second time in three seasons. Boise State, which topped UNLV 38-21 in the MW Football Championship on Dec. 5 for its third consecutive MW title, is 13-9 all-time in bowl games and will be facing Washington in a bowl game for the third time. Both previous meetings came in the Las Vegas Bowl, with the Broncos claiming a 28-26 win in 2012 and the Huskies evening the score with a 38-7 win in 2019 for the only two meetings between Washington and a MW team in bowl play. Washington holds a 4-2 lead over Boise State in the all-time series, having won two straight, including the last meeting in 2023. The Broncos are 0-1 in the LA Bowl, falling 35-22 to UCLA in 2023, while the MW is 1-1 against Big Ten teams in bowl games all-time, including Boise State’s setback to Penn State in the CFP quarterfinals last season.
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop | Fresno State vs. Miami (Ohio)
Saturday, Dec. 27 | Tucson, Ariz. | 2:30 p.m. MT | The CW
Fresno State (8-4, 5-3 MW) will play Mid-American Conference runner-up Miami (Ohio) (7-6, 6-2 MAC) on Saturday, Dec. 27, in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop in Tucson, Arizona. The Bulldogs, who are 17-16 in bowl games all-time, will be making their fifth straight bowl appearance and will be appearing in the Arizona Bowl for the first time. Fresno State will be facing the RedHawks for the first time in program history. Mountain West squads are 5-5 in the Arizona Bowl all-time, including Colorado State and Nevada squaring off in the inaugural game in 2015. MW teams are 0-1 against Miami (Ohio) in bowl games, with the RedHawks claiming the 2024 Arizona Bowl over Colorado State.
Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl | Hawai‘i vs. California
Wednesday, Dec. 24 | Honolulu, Hawai‘i | 3 p.m. HT | ESPN
As previously announced, Hawai‘i (8-4, 5-3 MW) will face California (7-5, 4-4 ACC) on Wednesday, Dec. 24, in the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl in Honolulu, marking the Rainbow Warriors’ 16th all-time bowl bid and 11th appearance in the Hawai‘i Bowl. It is Hawai‘i’s first bowl bid under coach Timmy Chang, who played in the game twice as the Rainbow Warriors’ quarterback, earning Most Outstanding Player honors in 2003 and 2004. Hawai‘i will face a Cal team that finished 7-5 overall and whose interim coach, Nick Rolovich, is a former Hawai‘i head coach and Rainbow Warrior quarterback and Chang’s teammate from 2000-01. Hawai‘i and Cal have met five times previously, with the Golden Bears holding a 3-2 series lead. The teams last met in 2016 in Sydney, Australia, which was coincidentally Rolovich’s debut as Hawai‘i’s head coach and resulted in a Cal win. MW teams are 2-3 against the Golden Bears in bowl games all-time, with UNLV topping Cal in last year’s LA Bowl, 24-13, and 4-0 against ACC teams in bowl games all-time. Hawai‘i, which boasts MW Special Teams Player of the Year Kansei Matsuzawa and MW Freshman of the Year Micah Alejado, is 5-4 in the Hawai‘i Bowl all-time, with its last appearance in 2021 canceled due to the pandemic.
Rate Bowl | New Mexico vs. Minnesota
Friday, Dec. 26 | Phoenix, Ariz. | 2:30 p.m. MT | ESPN
Winner of six straight games entering the postseason, New Mexico (9-3, 6-2 MW) will face Minnesota (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) in the Rate Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, Dec. 26. Under the direction of MW Coach of the Year Jason Eck and with MW Co-Defensive Player of the Year Jaxton Eck pacing the defense, the Lobos will be making their first bowl appearance since 2016, their 14th all-time, and their first outside of New Mexico since the 2004 Emerald Bowl. UNM, which is receiving votes in The Associated Press poll, will be playing in the Rate Bowl for the second time, with the first coming in 1997 when it lost 20-14 to Arizona in what was known as the Insight Bowl. New Mexico, which will be meeting Minnesota for the first time in program history, will be facing its third Big Ten team of the season, having fallen to Michigan to open the season and beating UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Sept. 12. MW teams have faced just two Big Ten teams in bowl games all-time, with TCU earning a win over Wisconsin in the 2010 Rose Bowl and Boise State falling to Penn State in the CFP quarterfinals last season.
Isleta New Mexico Bowl | San Diego State vs. North Texas
Saturday, Dec. 27 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 3:45 p.m. MT | ESPN
San Diego State (9-3, 6-2 MW) will take on American Conference runner-up North Texas (11-2, 7-1 American) in the 20th edition of the Isleta New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Aztecs, who will be playing in their first bowl game since 2022 and their 13th time in 16 seasons, are in the New Mexico Bowl for the second time, having beaten Central Michigan 48-11 in the 2019 edition. SDSU is one of the top defensive teams in the nation this season, ranking fifth in the FBS in scoring defense and seventh in total defense, and is led by MW Co-Defensive Player of the Year Chris Johnson on that side of the ball. San Diego State, which is receiving votes in the AFCA poll, is 6-1 all-time against the Mean Green, though the squads have not met since 1975. North Texas, ranked 25th in the final CFP rankings and 23rd in The Associated Press poll this week, will be the sixth American Conference bowl opponent for the Mountain West all-time, with MW teams boasting a 5-2 mark against the American. MW teams are 3-1 against North Texas in bowl games and have won two straight.
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl | UNLV vs. Ohio
Tuesday, Dec. 23 | Frisco, Texas | 8 p.m. CT | ESPN
Receiving votes in both The Associated Press and AFCA polls, UNLV (10-3, 6-2 MW) will square off against Ohio (8-4, 6-2) in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday, Dec. 23. Led by MW Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Anthony Colandrea, the Rebels, who reached 10 wins for the second straight season for the first time in school history and played in their third consecutive MW Football Championship, are bowling for the third straight season for the first time in program history. 4-2 in bowl games all-time, UNLV will be making its Frisco Bowl debut and the MW has a team in the game for the first time since 2022. The Rebels and Bobcats have met just once, with UNLV claiming a 26-18 in 1988. MW teams are 0-3 against Ohio in bowl games all-time.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Utah State vs. Washington State
Monday, Dec. 22 | Boise, Idaho | 12 p.m. MT | ESPN
Utah State (6-6, 4-4 MW) will play Washington State (6-6, 1-1 Pac-12) on Monday, Dec. 22, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho. The Aggies will be making their 18th bowl game appearance (6-11 record) and fourth in the last five years and will be playing in the Potato Bowl for the sixth time, including the inaugural game in 1997, when it was known as the Humanitarian Bowl. USU and Washington State have met five times, with the Cougars holding a 3-2 mark, and will be meeting in a bowl game for the first time. MW teams are 15-13 against Pac-12 teams in bowls all-time, including a 3-0 mark against Washington State.
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