The Gildan New Mexico Bowl features two teams that are slowly on the rise in the football ranks. In a stacked Pac 12 conference, Washington State put up a 6-6 record as Mike Leach lead a young roster. In his second season with Colorado State, head coach Jim McElwain is taking the Rams to their second-straight bowl appearance after a strong 7-6 year.
Both programs are working to turn around programs that were headed in the wrong direction. Both coaches have turned around their respective teams after years of struggle. The Rams had not been to a bowl game since 2008, but McElwain is using his offensive mind to turn things around. On the other side, the Cougars had not seen a bowl season in over a decade until Leach stepped in.
Leach recognizes the Cougars have been on hard times. With a roster made up of almost entirely freshman and sophomores, Leach is making it a priority to get Washington State out of what he referred to as "rough dry times." Leach brought his signature spread offense to the Cougars with quarterback Connor Halliday leading the way. The junior is ranked fourth nationally in passing with 4,187 yards on the season and 28 touchdown passes.
McElwain is an offensive mind of his own. After spending time as the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama, bringing the Tide a national championship win, he got offered the head coaching job with the Rams and continues to bring the team more positives than negatives. The head coach believes making it to another bowl game is an important milestone.
Colorado State is lead by running back Kapri Bibbs who leads the nation with 28 touchdowns. Quarterback Garrett Grayson is in the top 20 in passing with 3,327 total yards. In four games this season, the Rams have put up 50 points or more a school record.
The matchup between Colorado State and Washington State is every bit the making of an offensive shootout. With two coaches getting credit as offensive geniuses, fans can expect a high-scoring thriller. While neither team have gotten any attention for their defenses, two top-20 passers will take center stage.
The Gildan New Mexico Bowl features two teams that have never played each other before. Both coaches admit they do not know much about each other, but both believe the team that gets their defense to step up to the challenge will get the win.