New Mexico Bowl pregame links and predictions

After a couple weeks of build up, the New Mexico Bowl has arrived. WSU will take on Colorado State and thanks to an early kickoff time, Cougar fans won't have to wait around long.

Still, you will need to pass some time, so there are a handful of links if you haven't already gotten tired of reading about the matchup. This also seems like a fitting time to throw out some predictions. Here are a few you can start with -- along with my picks -- but feel free to come up with some others.

Connor Halliday O/U 400 passing yards -- OVER

Deone Bucannon O/U 8.5 tackles -- OVER

Deone Bucannon O/U 1.5 "oooooohhh" hits -- OVER

WSU leading receiver -- Vince Mayle

Final score -- WSU 42, CSU 24

Football:

Cougars, Rams kick off college bowl season - Spokesman.com - Dec. 20, 2013
Just more than a year ago, Washington State linebackers coach Ken Wilson was coaching the same position in the New Mexico Bowl for the University of Nevada. The Wolf Pack lost a heartbreaker to Arizona, getting outscored 21-3 in the fourth quarter to lose, 49-48.

New Mexico Bowl pre-game festivities - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Dec. 20, 2013
S-R photojournalist Tyler Tjomsland covered the Gildan New Mexico Bowl pre-game festivities in Albuquerque. Check out this big picture gallery of his photos.

Video: Five prospects to watch during early bowl games - CBSSports.com
While Carr is certainly the headliner of the group, four other highly regarded prospects to keep an eye on in the early slate of bowl games include hard-hitting safety Deone Bucannon and the Washington State Cougars facing off against Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday. The Rams feature an underrated prospect of their own in center Weston Richburg, NFLDraftScout.com's No. 2 prospect at the position.

WSU bowl rewind: 2003 Rose Bowl - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Dec. 20, 2013
The talent on the field in Pasadena in 2003 was truly exceptional. No. 7 WSU boasted future NFL players such as Devard Darling, Hamza Abdullah, Marcus Trufant and others, while No. 8 Oklahoma would have four players picked in the upcoming NFL draft. The Cougars, coached by Mike Price, were 10-2, while Bob Stoops' Sooners boasted an 11-2 record.

Colorado State impressed with Washington State safety Deone Bucannon - The Denver Post
More often than not, a football team's leader in tackles will be a linebacker. That's not the case with Washington State. Free safety Deone Bucannon has led the Cougars in tackles the past two seasons, making 106 in 2012 and 109 thus far in 2013 as a senior.

New Mexico Bowl: Get to know Washington State - Mountain West Connection
Colorado State takes on Washington in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday afternoon, so to get to know the Cougars we reached out to CougCenter to get a good look at the program leading into this game. Also, make sure to check out their bowl game coverage, too.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl 2013 Preview: Washington St. Cougars vs. Colorado St. Rams - Team Speed Kills
Two teams with weak slates and subpar defenses meet in the first postseason game of the year. Can you say points galore?

New Mexico Bowl preview: Colorado State vs. Washington State | National Football Post
And don't forget this team only lost at Auburn by seven points in the season opener, although both teams were much different outfits by the end of the regular season. This is Wazzu's first bowl game since it played Texas in the 2003 Holiday Bowl.

Men's basketball:

The football team won't be the only one in action today.

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WSU Returns to Pullman to Host UTEP Saturday - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State University men’s basketball (6-4) will play its third game in seven days as it returns to Beasley Coliseum to host UTEP (6-5), Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5:30 p.m.