2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game will be played between teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Kent State made their first appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl while Wyoming made their second appearance and first since the 2017 edition.^[5] This was Kent State's 5th bowl game appearance in program history, following their win in the 2019 Frisco Bowl.^[6] This was Wyoming's 17th bowl game appearance in program history, following their win in the 2019 Arizona Bowl.^[7]

This was the first time that Kent State and Wyoming have ever played each other.^[8]

Kent State started the season with a blowout loss against Texas A&M 41–10.^[9] They would then bounce back against VMI before falling to Iowa.^[10][11] After a 37-16 loss against Maryland, Kent State would win five of their next seven games. A 38-0 victory over Akron would secure their bowl eligibility.^[12] In the last game of the regular season the Golden Flashes would face off with the Miami (OH) RedHawks for the MAC East Division. In a thrilling 48-47 overtime victory, Kent State secured a spot in the MAC Championship Game.^[13] In a rematch vs Northern Illinois, the Golden Flashes lost 41-23 giving them a 7-6 record coming into the game.^[14]

Wyoming started the season hot at 4-0 with wins over Montana State, Northern Illinois, Ball State, and UConn.^{[15][16][17][18]} After that the Cowboys went on a four game skid losing to four conference opponents. They beat a conference team for the first team on the year after beating Colorado State 31-17.^[19] The Cowboys then lost to Boise State 23-13 before beating the Mountain West Conference Champion Utah State 44-17 to secure bowl eligibility.^[20][21] In the final game of the regular season, Wyoming lost to Hawaii 38-14.^[22] Wyoming entered the contest with a 6-6 overall record, and a 2-6 record in conference.