The Cougars are now without their head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, QB coach, RB coach and 22 players (ten starters). On top of that, a majority of the regulars remaining are seniors who could opt-out of the Holiday Bowl, and many of the younger players recruited by former coach Jake Dickert could soon enter the transfer portal and follow Dickert to Wake Forest.

It begs the question, should WSU still make the trip to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego for the DirecTV Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27?

Syracuse opened as 5.5-point favorites. In the past week, that line has moved to 10.5 points, making the Orange heavy favorites. The good news for WSU is that there has never been a Holiday Bowl underdog by seven points or more who did not cover the spread, meaning history tells us the game could still be competitive. Syracuse is 1-5 against the spread in its past six games when favored.

However, it’s not just about the competitiveness of the game. There is a financial aspect here as well. Jason Puckett, host of Puck Sports and a well-known Coug fan in the Pacific Northwest media scene, believes the team should opt-out, as travel costs would offset the payout from the game.

“I don’t know how and why you play in the Holiday Bowl. The $3M you get is immediately gone after travel expenses,” Puckett wrote on his X.com account. “It will be a scout team out there with a scout team staff.”

The payout from the game is estimated to be $3 million based off the 2023 numbers. However, the payout is partially related to the ad-revenue generated from the game, meaning if Coug (and Orange) fans don’t tune in to watch the game, the payout will be smaller. The game is not expected to sell-out, considering WSU’s roster shortages and the long-distance between Syracuse (upstate New York) and San Diego (southern California).

WSU Athletic Director Anne McCoy, meanwhile, reaffirmed the team’s committal to playing the bowl game, and named defensive tackle coach Pete Kaligis as the team’s acting head coach for the game.

“This team has worked so hard and accomplished a great deal this year,” McCoy’s statement read. “They deserve to end the season with a memorable bowl game.”