Michigan State football: 5 bold predictions for the Holiday Bowl vs Washington State

Michigan State football faces Washington State in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. Can the Spartans take down the Cougars?

With the Rose Bowl being a College Football Playoff semifinal this season, the game will not feature the traditional Big Ten versus Pac-12 match-up. However there are four other bowls with teams from the conferences facing each other. The Holiday Bowl will have the first bowl featuring two ranked opponents between the conferences as Michigan State takes on Washington State.

The Spartans looked to be in line to play in a New Years Day game, finishing third in the conference behind conference champion Ohio State and conference runner-up Wisconsin. However it was not meant to be as Michigan, a team finishing behind the Spartans, took the Outback Bowl spot most projected to go to Michigan State. The only reasonable explanation is when it comes to bowls, it is about the money and Wolverine fans travel better than Spartan fans.

Regardless, spending a few late December days in sunny San Diego is far better than spending them in East Lansing so it is still a nice reward for the players. The 2017 Spartans did a complete turnaround from their 2016 counterparts, going from 3-9 to 9-3. A job well done to coach Mark Dantonio, his staff and the players.

Washington State had a Pac-12 North title within their grasp until the final game, getting blown out on the road at Washington in the Apple Cup. Instead of ending up in the Pac-12 title game, the Cougars land in their second straight Holiday Bowl. Last year, the Cougars lost 17-12 to a Minnesota team with 10 suspended players. This year, the Cougars would like to be on the winning side.

This one should be a good game between ranked teams. Click ahead for five bold predictions for the Holiday Bowl.