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Despite there being 80 bowl-eligible teams for 70 bowl slots, things are looking pretty solid for Washington State. After some initial fears the Cougars would be left out, just about everyone seems to have Washington State going somewhere for the holidays. Bowl projections have shifted from if for the Cougars, to where. That's a good thing for the bowl-starved fan, but we're still not quite sure where the Cougars will be going.
Taking a spin around various bowl projections, it appears nobody else is quite sure where Mike Leach and co. will end up ... somewhere between Shreveport and New Mexico, geographically.
Up at SB Nation, Jason Kirk has the Cougs going to Houston to face Nebraska in the Texas Bowl and there go my pants. Of the destinations floated, outside of a pipe dream trip to San Francisco, visiting Houston would be great. Facing an angry Bo Pelini, though? Priceless.
Over at Sports Illustrated, Stewart Mandel has the Cougs in the New Mexico Bowl, facing Boise State. Albuquerque was our guess at the destination, and seems to be lock for Washington State if another bowl doesn't snatch the Cougars up first. As an aside, a Boise State-Washington State bowl game would be pretty fun for a number of reasons, especially now that Chris Petersen has moved on to Washington (there's a stipulation in his contract that he must coach the bowl, though we'll see if that's honored).*
Edit: Nope
At CBS, Jerry Palm has Washington State traveling to Shreveport to face Georgia Tech on New Year's Eve. Because New Year's Eve in Shreveport is one of the finer things in life, and because Washington State fans' reputations precede them, the INdependence Bowl pick has become a popular one. Cougs could do some damage in Shreveport.
At USA Today, the Cougs are heading to Texas, but this time for the Heart of Dallas Bowl. There's a theme developing so far, and we're batting 1.000. Washington State would face North Texas in this scenario and hey Texas is lovely this time of year and should be de-iced by then. Besides, anything is better than the frigid Pullman weather right now.
Finally, Phil Steele has the Cougars visiting Houston to play in the Texas Bowl. Unfortunately, Steele is not projecting Nebraska as the opponent, but instead guessing that Minnesota will be joining the Cougs.
So there you have it. Five projections, four different bowls. Just be happy the Cougars are bowling and roll with the punches. We'll have a definitive answer soon enough.
Anything to add? Any hopes and dreams for Bowl Selection Sunday? Add em in the comments.