A history of WSU playing for bowl eligibility

Sitting at 5-5, Washington State technically has two chances to gain bowl eligibility. It’s a position WSU has been in many times before. This is the 46th season WSU has won at least five games. In some previous instances, getting that 6th win has been no issue. In others, it never game.

While Max Borghi has already guaranteed a win against Oregon State, let’s look back at the last 51 years — since WSU joined the Pac-8 — to see how the Cougs fared in becoming bowl eligible.

1972

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 7, only to lose their next two. They did win their final two games to finish 7-4, but did not appear in a bowl game.

1973

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 11, but only played 11 games that year so they finished the season 5-6.

1977

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 9 and won the next week to get to 6-4 before finishing 6-5. They did not appear in a bowl.

1981

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 5 with a 5-0 start. They tied the next week against UCLA before winning their sixth game the following week. They finished the regular season 8-2 and played in the Holiday Bowl.

1983

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 9 and won their final two games to finish 7-4. They did not play in a bowl game.

1984

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 9 and immediately picked up No. 6 the next week. They finished 6-5 and did not appear in a bowl game.

1988

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 8 and did not lose the rest of the way. They won three more games to finish the regular season at 8-3 then finished the season with a win in the Aloha Bowl.

1989

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 6 and improved to 6-1 with a win the following week. The Cougs, however, lost their final four games to finish 6-5 and did not appear in a bowl game.

1992

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 5 and hit six wins the following week. They finished the regular season 8-3 and won the Copper Bowl.

1993

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 7 and were sitting pretty at 5-2. They lost their final four games of the year to finish 5-6 and miss a bowl game.

1994

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 7 and won again the next week. They finished the season with a win in the Alamo Bowl.

1996

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 7, but again lost their final four games to finish 5-6 and not make a bowl.

1997

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 5 and made it 6-0 the next week. They, of course, finished the season 10-2 with a loss in the Rose Bowl.

2001

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 5 and added two more wins in the following two weeks. They finished 10-2 with a win in the Sun Bowl.

2002

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 6 and won their next four games to add to it. They finished 10-3 with a loss in the Rose Bowl.

2003

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 6 and won their next two games. They finished the season 10-3 with a win in the Holiday Bowl.

2004

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 11 in the Apple Cup against Washington. They played 11 games that season and finished the year 5-6.

2006

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 8 and stomped UCLA the next week to get to six wins. They lost their last three games to finish 6-6 and did not play in a bowl game.

2007

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 12 to finish the season 5-7.

2013

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 10 and won the next week to hit six wins. They went on to play in the New Mexico Bowl.

2015

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 7 only to lose the following week. They won their sixth game two weeks later and finished the season 9-4 with a win in the Sun Bowl.

2016

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 7 and won their next three games. They finished the year 8-5 with a loss in the Holiday Bowl.

2017

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 5 and hit six wins the following week. They went on to play in the Holiday Bowl.

2018

The Cougs won their fifth game in Week 6 and won their next four games. They finished the year 11-2 with a win in the Alamo Bowl.

When you add it all up, the Cougs had 21 chances to get to 6 wins and managed to do so within two weeks 18 times. That bodes pretty well for making a bowl game this season. Maybe Borghi is right.

*****

Men’s Basketball:

Elleby leads Washington State past Idaho State 72-61 - Washington State University Athletics
One of CJ Elleby's favorite things is getting a steal and then seeing the open court in front of him.

Elleby helps Washington State beat Idaho State - Reuters
CJ Elleby scored a game-high 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds as host Washington State defeated Idaho State 72-61 on Sunday afternoon in a non-conference game in Pullman, Wash.

Washington State adds big man Efe Abogidi to 2020 signing class | The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – A second letter of intent rolled in for Kyle Smith and the Washington State men’s basketball program Sunday morning.

Efemena “Efe” Abogidi, an athletic big man who’s currently playing for the...Thank you for visiting Spokesman.com. To continue reading this story and enjoying our local journalism please subscribe or log in...

Football:

Washington State’s Jahad Woods hits 100 tackles on the year with consequential sack | The Spokesman-Review
Earlier this week, Jack Woods explained why it was important to see his son to reach a personal milestone that just about every linebacker covets.

Washington State vs. Oregon State: what to know | WSU Cougars | lmtribune.com
Washington State will play Oregon State at 6 p.m. Saturday at Martin Stadium in Pullman.

The Cougars improved to 5-5 overall and 2-5 in the Pac-12 with a 49-22 victory at home against Stanford. Anthony Gordon was 44-of-60 passing for 520 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Max Borghi ran for 111 yards and accounted for two scores. Easop Winston Jr. had 11 catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns.