For the sixth consecutive season, No. 23 football will make an appearance in a bowl game when it takes on Utah State in the San Diego County Union Poinsettia Bowl at 8:30 p.m. CT Dec. 26 at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Huskies made one prior trip to the Poinsettia Bowl in 2006 when they suffered a loss to TCU. The Huskies (12-1, 8-0 MAC) and the Aggies (8-5, 7-2 MWC) are both coming off losses in their respective conference championship games. The Huskies fell to Bowling Green, 47-27, for their first loss of the season in the MAC Championship, while the Aggies were defeated by Fresno State, 24-17, in the Mountain West Championship game.

Utah State is similar to Bowling Green as it is led into this game by one of the top ranked defenses in the nation. The Falcons keep points off the board and only allow 17.3 points per game, which is the seventh-fewest in the nation. They are 12th in the nation in total defense, surrendering only 322.1 total yards per game.

Following the loss, the Huskies are looking to get the bad taste out of their mouth after coming up short of a third consecutive MAC Championship and second BCS bowl berth.

“There’s really a sense of wanting to get back on the field after Friday,” said coach Rod Carey. “I think, not only getting back on the field, but now knowing where we’re going and who we’re playing, really [creates] a good sense of excitement.”

The Huskies received multiple offers from bowls, but they felt the Poinsettia Bowl was the best option for them and they are pleased with the opportunity to go to San Diego.

“We’re extremely excited,” said Athletics Director Sean Frazier. “Obviously, this is a trip that we’re excited about for our fan base, for our student athletes, for our program, for our university.

“We’re extremely happy to accept officially the Poinsettia Bowl’s invite, and we’re excited to get out to San Diego and play a great Utah State team.”

What really excited the Huskies about the Poinsettia Bowl was their matchup opportunity with Utah State and a team from the Mountain West.

“At the end of the day it came down to the matchup, it came down to timing and it came down to the invitations,” Frazier said. “It just so happened that the Poinsettia Bowl, having a Mountain West runner-up, and then obviously us being a runner-up in our own rights, and looking at that matchup, we all felt that was the right place for us at the right time.”