Oregon Ducks arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport for Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

The eighth-ranked Oregon Ducks — well, at least many of their coaches, players and family members allowed on the team plane — arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Tuesday afternoon to kick off Vrbo Fiesta Bowl preparation and activities leading up to the Jan. 1 game against No. 23 Liberty.

There were plenty of smiles and hand slaps with a large welcoming committee and a mariachi ensemble. But soon the Ducks will get down to the business of trying to win a New Year's Six bowl game and end their season happily after coming up painfully short of the final Pac-12 championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

"I know our players are anxious to get to work, but I'm also excited for them to reap some of the rewards and what both bowl games mean. We're excited to play a good opponent, Liberty. I know they're really talented and hungry for this game just like our team," Ducks head coach Dan Lanning said moments after stepping off the plane.

Oregon finished 11-2 with its only two losses to archrival Washington — once in conference play and again in the conference title game on Dec. 1. Both losses were by three points each.

A win on Jan. 1 would give Oregon 12 wins in a season for the first time since 2019 and the sixth time in program history, all since 2010. The Ducks never scored fewer than 31 points in a game all season, and finished second in the nation in total offense among Division I programs averaging 527.4 yards per game.

Liberty (13-0) finished third in that category. But the Conference USA champion Flames are double-digit underdogs in the Fiesta Bowl.

"The great thing about bowl season is you get an opportunity to go out there and play one more game and more importantly send our seniors off the right way," Lanning said. "You know, a lot of these guys ... put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in this game, and we want the opportunity for them to celebrate that one last time together on the football field."

The Ducks lost to area native Brock Purdy (now starring in the NFL) and Iowa State three years ago, the last time they were in the Fiesta Bowl. This time, they'll have Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix at quarterback for his final college football game, and first-team all-Pac-12 defensive end Brandon Dorlus anchoring the defense.

"Bo's a great quarterback. I think he's proven that over time, he's had a lot of success here at Oregon and Bo is the first one to tell you that that's a credit to his teammates and the people that he had around him, his coaches," Lanning said. "Obviously, he's a tremendous football player that's given a lot to this university."

Four underclassmen have announced their intention to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. They are first-team all-conference players Troy Franklin (wide receiver), defensive back Khyree Jackson and offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson. Running back Bucky Irving has also declared, but has said he will play in the Fiesta Bowl.

Some Oregon players were given the freedom to travel on their own to Phoenix. When asked if Nix, Irving and Dorlus have insurance policies in case of an injury in the Fiesta Bowl that could affect their draft position, Lanning said "some of our guys do."

"We're excited about the guys that made this trip. There's a lot of guys committed to this team that want to play in this game and certainly some opportunities for young guys to come and get an early start on their Oregon career," Lanning said. "So I'll let time tell that story as it comes out."

Dorlus said the Ducks coaching staff has prepared the defense well for Liberty's high-volume running attack.

"Games like this, you gotta tackle well and you can't have mistakes out there," Dorlus said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Oregon expected to have Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix in Fiesta Bowl