Syracuse and Washington State Bowl Records & History: How have the Holiday Bowl teams fared through the years?

The 8-4 Washington State Cougars will take on 9-3 Syracuse on Friday in the 45th edition of the Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl has taken place in San Diego, Calif., since 1978, and will be held at Snapdragon Stadium for the first time this year.

Though both Washington State and Syracuse have had football programs for at least 130 years, Friday’s game will mark just the second matchup between the two teams. The two teams last played in 1979, when Syracuse earned a 52-25 win.

Syracuse comes into the game ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 poll, and riding a three-game winning streak. Washington State comes into the game with significantly less momentum, having lost their last three games.

The Orange will play in their 29th bowl game on Friday, but will make their first appearance in the Holiday Bowl.

Syracuse first appeared in a bowl game in 1953, when they lost to Alabama in the Orange Bowl. The team lost their first three bowl games, and lost six of their first nine bowl game appearances. Their first bowl game win came over Texas in 1959, the same year they won their lone national championship.

The Orange have made three straight bowl games, but have lost each of the last two. They will look to correct course with a win over Washington State.

Washington State first appeared in a bowl game in 1915, when they played in the second edition of the historic Rose Bowl. They have played in the Rose Bowl four times over their history.

The Cougars have also appeared in the Holiday Bowl four different times. They made their first appearance in 1981, the fourth installment of the Holiday Bowl, and most recently in 2017.

Washington State saw their longest streak of bowl games under late coach Mike Leach, who led the Cougars to five straight Holiday Bowls from 2015 to ’19. Washington State went 0-2 in the Holiday Bowl and 2-4 in total bowl games under Leach.

The Orange hold the advantage over the Cougars in bowl game record.