[6] Jake Dickert's second season at Washington State began with a rivalry matchup with Idaho, which the Cougars won by a touchdown.
15 Oregon,[11] After defeating California for homecoming,[12] the Cougars entered a three-game losing skid that started with a road contest at No.
[17] Their season's seventh win came the following Saturday at Arizona by eleven points, though they finished the campaign with a home loss in the Apple Cup to rivals No.
[26] The Bulldogs put a stop to the losing streak with a homecoming victory over San Jose State,[27] and won their first road game with a 41–9 showing against New Mexico the next week.
[28] Two touchdowns in the final 69 seconds of the Bulldogs' next game against San Diego State earned them a come-from-behind win that brought them back up to .500.
[35] The day following the conference championship, a pair of Bulldogs defenders–cornerback Cale Sanders and nickelback Emari Pait—entered the transfer portal rather than opting to play in the bowl game.
[37] The game's officiating crew, representing the Southeastern Conference, was led by referee Lee Hedrick and umpire Michael Moten.