NFL Home
 
Home > Collegefootball > Bowls > Fiesta Bowl

Fiesta Bowl
Print Del.icio.us! Del.icio.usDigg! Digg

The Fiesta Bowl was created in 1971 to ensure that the champion of the Westrern Athletic Conference would be provided a bowl invitation. The inaugural Fiesta Bowl featured Arizona State, champions of the WAC, versus the Florida State Seminoles. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium with Arizona State defeating Florida State 45-38. Arizona State won the first three Fiesta Bowls. The game reached a high point in 1975 when undefeated Arizona State defeated Big Eight co-champion Nebraska 17-14. However, when Arizona State and Arizona joined the Pac-10 in 1978, the WAC’s automatic tie-in with the Fiesta Bowl ended.  

The Fiesta Bowl served as the venue for the most watched game in college football history. In 1986, Miami and Penn State were the top two teams in the country. Penn State beat Miami 14-10 to capture the national championship. Two years later, Notre Dame defeated West Virginia to win the national championship. As a result, the Fiesta Bowl grew in stature and joined the Bowl Coalition in 1992. The Fiesta Bowl hosted the 1996 national championship game between Nebraska and Florida. Nebraska demolished Florida 62-24 to win the national title.

When the Bowl Championship Series formed in 1998, the Fiesta Bowl hosted the inaugural BCS title game. Tennessee defeated Florida State 23-16 on January 4, 1999 to capture the national title. The Fiesta Bowl hosted the title game again in 2003 when Ohio State defeated Miami 31-24 in double overtime. In most years, the Big XII champion is awarded a spot in the Fiesta Bowl unless they are in line to play in the national championship game.

Last year’s Fiesta Bowl between perennial power Oklahoma and upstart Boise State may go down as the greatest college football game ever. Trailing by a touchdown with only seconds to play, Boise State ran a hook and lateral to tie the game and send it to overtime. In overtime, Boise State, trailing by a point, went for the two-point conversion. They converted the statue of liberty play to pull off the upset.