Oregon Ducks, Liberty Flames to face off in Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
In what will be a swan song for the Pac-12 Conference, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will be one of the final stages.
After losing the Pac-12 Championship game, the No. 8 Oregon Ducks will return to the Fiesta Bowl and will face upstart program No. 23 Liberty on Monday, Jan. 1, at 11 a.m.
Liberty is relatively new to the bowl landscape after moving from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top level of NCAA football in 2017 and becoming a full FBS program in 2019. The Liberty Flames will make their fifth bowl appearance in program history after going 13-0 and winning the Conference USA title against New Mexico State.
"These are the kind of — dare I say it — David versus Goliath kind of matchups that people look forward to. Our game has a history having ones like this, including last year with TCU and Michigan, and we obviously know about Oklahoma and Boise State. We're looking to continue that legacy and tradition in the Fiesta Bowl," Fiesta Bowl Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses said.
Oregon (11-2, 8-1) marched through the Pac-12 and lost a close 34-31 game to Washington in the title game, losing its CFP hopes. The aftermath resulted in Washington earning a bid against No. 3 Texas in the CFP Semifinal.
The Ducks will be making their seventh consecutive bowl appearance and will be in the Fiesta Bowl for the fourth time. The Ducks are 2-1 all-time in the Fiesta Bowl, with wins over Colorado (Jan. 1, 2002) and Kansas State (Jan. 3, 2013) and a loss to Iowa State (Jan. 2, 2021).
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The upcoming contest marks the final year before the Fiesta Bowl becomes a permanent playoff game in the upcoming expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field. Next year, the Fiesta Bowl will host the first-ever quarterfinal game on Dec. 31, 2024, and a semifinal on Jan. 8, 2026.
The expanded field comes at an important time in college football. In the final year of the four-game model, there was controversy surrounding the committee's decision to select Alabama (12-1) at No. 4 over Florida State (13-0).
For those behind the Fiesta Bowl, switching to the playoff model adds even more excitement to the game.
"I think for all of us that long for the days of old, seeing that change makes you feel a little something," Moses said. "But I also think that this year, we're making a really good argument for why an expanded field makes sense. Certainly, I think the Florida State fans will tell you that, as well as many other fans. The 12-team field will solve a lot of this, but it won't solve everything as we all know."
The 53rd annual game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN through its linear television and digital platforms.
Arizona to make first bowl appearance since 2017
After putting together one of the best seasons in the program's history, the Wildcats (9-3) will play Oklahoma (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Dec. 28. The game will be played in the Alamodome and air on ESPN at 7:15 p.m. MT.
Arizona and Oklahoma have played just twice before, a home-and-home series in 1988-89 with both teams winning at home.
UNLV earns first bowl game in 10 years with Guaranteed Rate Bowl bid
UNLV (9-4) will make its first bowl game since 2014 and will face Kansas for the second time in history.
In head coach Barry Odom's first year, the Rebels earned a share of its first Mountain West regular-season title and its first appearance in the conference championship game.
Kansas (8-4) earned its second-straight bowl bid and second all-time appearance at Guaranteed Rate Bowl, with the first coming in 2008.
"From everything that we've seen, the folks in Nevada and the UNLV fanbase is really pleased with what their coach has been able to accomplish this year. The sentiment is high for this team this year and we hope that will translate with people coming down," Moses said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl to feature Oregon, Liberty matchup
