Kelly Lyell

kellylyell@coloradoan.com

Idaho it is — the game and the opponent.

CSU’s football team formally accepted an invitation Sunday to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 22 in Boise. The Rams’ opponent will be the University of Idaho, a program that is completing its next-to-last season at the NCAA’s top level, the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The game begins at 5 p.m. and will be televised nationally by ESPN. It's the only bowl game played that day.

The Vandals, who went 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the Sun Belt Conference this season, are returning to the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) and Big Sky Conference in 2018.

​The destination and opponent weren’t what the Rams (7-5, 5-3 Mountain West) were focused on Sunday, though.

They were relishing the opportunity to play one more game in an effort to build upon a strong finish to the regular season. Colorado State University, in coach Mike Bobo’s second season, won four of its last five games, all in convincing fashion.

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The culmination was a 63-31 win Nov. 26 at San Diego State, a team that won the Mountain West title Saturday night with a 27-24 win at Wyoming.

"We feel like we can't be stopped, and every time we step on the field we're going to go out and we're going to kind of show the world what we can do," senior tight end Nolan Peralta said. "We have playmakers and guys that can physically dominate their opponent, so we're excited to go out and have another opportunity to do that."

CSU, one of just three MW teams headed to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season, started its resurgence on the blue turf at Albertsons Stadium, where the Idaho Potato Bowl will be played. The Rams scored three touchdowns in 85 seconds during a wild comeback bid in the fourth quarter of a 28-23 loss to Boise State. They lost that game, but gained the confidence that carried them to a 42-23 win a week later at UNLV, to a 37-0 home win Oct. 22 over Fresno State, a 49-31 home win Nov. 19 over New Mexico and the victory at San Diego State to close out the regular season.

Were it not for a 49-46 loss Nov. 12 at Air Force, the Rams might be the hottest team in the country coming into the bowl season.

"I'm extremely excited about the opportunity for our football team to finish this season on a high note, as we move into the next chapter of Colorado State football with the new on-campus stadium," Bobo said. "I'm really proud of this football team with how they finished the year, and now we've got a bowl game in Boise against an opponent, Idaho, that had its winningest season in 18 years.

"... It's a fun time to be a Ram. I'm excited about the opportunity to play another game and go to battle with this team."

Quarterback Nick Stevens leads the Mountain West and is No. 7 nationally in passing efficiency with 165.7 rating, and his 65.5 percent completion rate is on pace to set a single-season school record. In six games since regaining the starting job he lost after a poor performance in the season opener, the junior from Murrietta, California, has completed 98 of 137 passes for 1,414 yards and 14 touchdowns with just one interception. He’s also run for two touchdowns.

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Receiver Michael Gallup, a junior-college transfer in his first season with the Rams, is tied for the MW lead in touchdown catches and tied for No. 15 nationally with 11. His 70 catches and 1,164 receiving yards both rank fifth on CSU’s single-season list.

The CSU defense rose up late in the year, too, posting a shutout for the first time since 1997 in the win over Fresno State, limiting the No. 1 rushing offense in the nation to 52 yards in the first half of the win over New Mexico and holding San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey, now No. 2 on the NCAA’s career rushing list, to 53 yards on 18 carries.

Extra practices preparing for the bowl game will help the younger players in the program develop for future seasons, Bobo said. But the Rams, who have lost their past two bowl games, are going to do everything they can to win this one.

"You want to always finish every season strong, and I think that's what's great about college football; you have an opportunity if you have a good season to play in a bowl game and kind of put an exclamation point on the season," Bobo said. "Bowl games now are even more important than they were 10 to 15 years ago, because everything's about momentum and your fan base and your recruiting. And winning's good for team morale, winning's good for fan morale — everybody's morale.

"So we want to get a win to take that positive step going into next season."

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

CSU vs. Idaho

When : 5 p.m., Dec. 22

: 5 p.m., Dec. 22 Where : Albertston’s Stadium, Boise, Idaho

: Albertston’s Stadium, Boise, Idaho Watch : ESPN

: ESPN Listen : KARS (FM 102.9) and KDCO (AM 1340 and FM 104.7)

: KARS (FM 102.9) and KDCO (AM 1340 and FM 104.7) Twitter: @KellyLyell, @MattStephens

Obituary: Hughes Stadium, 1968-2016