PULLMAN, Wash. - The Washington State University Cougars accepted an invitation to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl, Friday, Dec. 28, at 6 p.m. PT, Alamo Bowl Executive Director Derrick Fox announced Sunday.
 
The Valero Alamo Bowl will feature the Cougars against the Iowa State Cyclones from the Big 12 Conference. This will mark the first meeting between the two teams. Washington State will enter the game ranked No. 13 in the College Football Playoff Rankings and Iowa State No. 24.
 
Under seventh-year head coach Mike Leach, the Cougars finished the regular season with a 10-2 overall record, 7-2 in Pac-12 play, the fourth-straight season WSU has recorded at least eight victories. It also marks the fourth-straight bowl appearance by the Cougars, a program first. In all, Leach has guided the Cougars to five bowl games in the past six seasons.
 
"Washington State is thrilled to participate in the Valero Alamo Bowl," said WSU Director of Athletics Pat Chun. "Their reputation is outstanding for hosting one of the premier bowls in America and our fans will flock to the great city of San Antonio for a wonderful week capped by a great bowl game."
 
The Cougars' had its first 10-win regular season since 2002, which included seventh-straight victories and wins over No. 12 Oregon, for the fourth-straight year, and No. 24 Stanford for the third-consecutive season. WSU leads the nation in passing for the third time in the past five years while senior quarterback Gardner Minshew II leads the nation in passing average and total offense.

Washington State is making its fourth-straight bowl appearance and fifth in seven years under Leach, marking the first time a coach has done either at WSU. It also marks the 15th overall bowl game for the Cougar program.  Last season, WSU fell to Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl. Previously WSU has played in the Rose Bowl (1916, 1931, 1998, 2003), the Holiday Bowl (1981, 2003, 2016), the Aloha Bowl (1988), the Copper Bowl (1992), the Alamo Bowl (1994), the Sun Bowl (2001, 2015) and the 2013 New Mexico Bowl. The Cougars are 7-7 in bowl games all time.

"We are excited to be a part of the Alamo Bowl against a great opponent in Iowa State," said WSU Head Coach Mike Leach. "The Alamo Bowl does a fantastic job with tremendous people hosting and running the events. We look forward to a great week."
 
This marks the second appearance in the Alamo bowl for Washington State. The previous meeting was a defensive battle as the Cougars scored 10 first-half points against Baylor then held on for the 10-3 victory in 1994. Led by the Palouse Posse defense, WSU held Baylor to eight first downs, 151 total yards and just three points in the contest.
 
Tickets for the 2018 Alamo Bowl may be ordered through wsucougars.com later this afternoon (Sunday, Dec. 2). Fans may also call the Cougar Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS starting at 9 a.m., Monday morning. More information is also available at www.alamobowl.com.
 
The Valero Alamo Bowl will be televised live nationally by ESPN from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.