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What's At Stake For UW And WSU In College Football Bowl Games

The University of Washington and Washington State football teams are gearing up to play in bowl games next week. The Cougars take on Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Diego. And the Huskies play Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30 in Glendale, Arizona.

KNKX sports commentator Art Thiel talked with KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick about which team has more at stake.

UW: National Power

"Washington has a big aspiration to be a national power," Thiel said.

"They want to be a Top 10 team. And that was reflected in their recruiting this week when they got 18 players on National Letter of Intent day from 10 different states."

"The Huskies, I think, are on their way in that regard to being a perennial Top 10 power."

WSU: Pac-12 Relevance

"Washington State's aspiration is to be relevant in the Pac-12."

"And beating Michigan State in a bowl game like this would be a big deal for them."

Never miss an episode again. Subscribe to Sports With Art Thiel with iTunes orGoogle Play now. You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest and Crosscut.com.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Art Thiel is a co-founder and writer for the rising sports website Sportspress Northwest. In 2003 Thiel wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, “Out of Left Field,” which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Steve Rudman and KJR 950 afternoon host Mike Gastineau, Thiel authored “The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists,” a cross between historylink.org and Mad Magazine that has become mandatory reading for any sports fan who has an indoor bathroom.