A 7-1 start for the Washington State Cougars has earned them the 21st seed in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings. WSU looks to continue its good luck on Saturday by hosting a Utah State team that has struggled most of the year under interim head coach Nate Dreiling.

Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s matchup between the Cougs and Aggies.

Washington State Cougars (7-1, Pac-12/Independent) @ Utah State Aggies (2-6, 1-3 Mountain West Conference)

History: Saturday, November 9

Time: 19:30 PT // 22:30 ET

Location: Gesa Field at Martin Stadium – Pullman, Washington

TV: C.W.

Radio: WSU Radio Networks

Betting Line: Washington State -20.5 open FanDuel

stories

Cardiac Cougs

In three different games this season, Washington State completed a fourth-quarter comeback victory. In their last game against San Diego State, they were down 12 points in the fourth round but managed to win 29-26.

“Sometimes it can get ugly and you have to find a way, but that’s what really good teams do and that’s what we were able to do this year,” Jake Dickert said this week. he said.

Future Pac-12 Conference Matchup

Utah State will be one of five teams from the Mountain West Conference to join the Pac-12 ahead of the 2026 season. In other words, the Aggies and Cougars will be seeing more of each other soon.

This season, with the Aggies 2-6, it’s easy to forget that Washington State will be the fourth-ranked (AP Poll) opponent USU will play this year (USC, Utah, Boise State).

Offensively, Utah State has been led this season by former Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras. The graduate student ranks fourth in the nation in completions per game with 26.83 and eighth in the nation in passing yards per game with 304.2.

WSU’s Playoff Chances

After missing the postseason entirely last year, Dickert made it clear that he wants his team to focus on one game at a time this season. But that won’t stop fans or other observers from considering the Cougs’ chances of being one of the 12 teams making the playoffs.

Essentially, they will need to climb at least ten places to 11th for this to happen. Not only will they need to win, they will also need help from almost every team in front of them without losing. Given the current state of the Pac-12 Conference, WSU is ineligible to win a conference championship and therefore does not qualify for one of the four byes in the first round.

More Reading Material in SI

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS: Washington State No. 21 in Top 25

What Did the College Football Playoff Committee Say About Washington State’s No. 21 Ranking?

WATCH: Jake Dickert Talks Washington State’s Matchup Against Utah State in Week 11