Merry Christmas, Cougs!

While you’re celebrating with your friends and family around the tree, Washington State football has made their way to the Valley of the Sun to begin bowl festivities.

The team landed in Arizona on Christmas Eve, where Mike Leach almost immediately gave his first press conference of bowl week. And it included a lot of “Leach-y” answers including this gem:

DENISE SEOMIN: Coach, we’ll get to the football questions here shortly. Since we do have the Cheez-Its up here, have to ask you, if you had to make a choice, what flavor would you go with?

COACH LEACH: I think I would go with the orange. I would go with the traditional.

I think I’m going to make that Leach photo my phone background.

After some football questions and even more blatant plugs for the delicious cheese-adjacent snacks, the team hit the practice field at Campo Verde High School for their first Arizona practice of the week.

The activities roll on tomorrow for the Cougs with another team practice at Campo Verde. On Thursday, the Cougs will partake in their bowl game player outreach program by volunteering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. After that event, the team will hold their media day event at the team hotel before a final walk through.

That’s all leading up to kickoff on Friday night at 7:15 p.m. at Chase Field.

Football

Cheez-It Bowl Prediction and Preview: Air Force vs. Washington State
Our college football experts predict, pick and preview the Cheez-It Bowl between the Air Force Falcons and Washington State Cougars with kickoff time, TV channel and spread.

Cheez-It Bowl: A Washington State Q&A with Theo Lawson
We learn more about the Air Force Falcons' bowl opponent, the Washington State Cougars, with Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review.

Best of the Mountain West: Looking back at Washington State’s five best games against the conference this decade | The Spokesman-Review
Even when Washington State tries to take a break from the Mountain West, the Cougars just can’t seem to get away.

Merry Christmas, Cougs! Thanks for reading this year. Hopefully the big guy can bring us another WSU bowl win this Friday Night.