5 underrated 2019 college football bowl games you won’t want to miss

2. Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 21/Boise State vs. Washington)

When Chris Petersen announced that he would step down as the Washington Huskies head coach after their bowl game, there was only one postseason matchup that anyone really wanted to see. Thanks to the College Football Playoff selection committee picking Memphis to go to the Cotton Bowl, we were afforded the opportunity for Boise State to take on their former coach in Sin City on the first Saturday of bowl games.

It was a disappointing campaign in Seattle, where the defending Pac-12 champions regressed to 7-5 in the standings and finished in a three-way tie in the Pac-12 North at 4-5 in conference play. Apart from a 10-point October defeat at Stanford, however, four of those five losses came by six points or less. The defense did its part, but the Jacob Eason-led offense struggled to outscore opponents.

Boise State will look to take down their former coach and claim the school’s first 13-win season since Petersen took the Broncos on an undefeated run to the 2009 Fiesta Bowl against TCU. It was an up-and-down season for Boise State as they adjusted to life after Brett Rypien at quarterback and dealt with injuries throughout their offense. That their only loss came at BYU is a testament to the team’s consistency year-over-year.

In addition to Petersen’s last game on the Washington sidelines, this Las Vegas Bowl also serves as the final edition that will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium before moving into the new stadium being built for UNLV and the Raiders next season. Much like when Bobby Bowden coached his final game against his former school, West Virginia, this will be an emotional contest in Las Vegas.