2021 · Week 15 COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 15
Quote of the week “We’re excited it’s Bowl Season, we’re excited to welcome fans back to our Bowl games and we’re excited to welcome these teams to the Valley for not one, but two, first-ever meetings.” - Fiesta Bowl Executive Director Mike Nealy on the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl pairings
2022 PLAYSTATION ® FIESTA BOWL GAME PREVIEW:
No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame
The 2021-22 PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl will welcome some familiar faces when No. 5 Notre Dame takes on No. 9 Oklahoma State on Saturday, January 1, 2022. Kickoff is set for 11 am MST at State Farm Stadium and will be telecast live on ESPN. The two storied programs have never met, but both are Fiesta Bowl veterans. Notre Dame returns to the Fiesta Bowl for the first time since 2015-16, when it fell to Ohio State 44-28, and for its sixth appearance overall. The Fighting Irish carry a 1-4 Fiesta Bowl record. Notre Dame is led by graduate transfer quarterback Jack Coan, who threw for 2,641 yards, 20 touchdowns against only six interceptions this season. The Irish have shined on the defensive side of the ball and are ranked in the Top-10 in the NCAA in defensive touchdowns (4), sacks (40) and interceptions (15). Newly-announced Head Coach Marcus Freeman will preside over his first-ever game guiding the Irish after being elevated to head coach on Friday. The former defensive coordinator played in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl while an undergraduate at Ohio State, recording eight tackles against Texas. Oklahoma State’s most recent Fiesta Bowl was in 2012, defeating Stanford, 41-38, during an overtime thriller. This will be the Cowboys third trip to the Fiesta Bowl and they carry a 2-0 record.
At the helm of the Cowboys’ offense is junior quarterback Spencer Sanders, who is 209-of-340 with 16 passing touchdowns and 2,468 passing yards. Sanders has also recorded six rushing touchdowns and 543 rushing yards, the most of any Big 12 quarterback. The Cowboys are a defensive force as well, leading the Big 12 and ranking eighth in the NCAA in total defense. Oklahoma State has only allowed 16.8 points per game and has limited its opponents to 273.6 yards per game, good for third in the NCAA. Oklahoma State is led by Big 12 Coach of the Year Mike Gundy, who has been quarterback or coach at Oklahoma State for more than half his life. Gundy coached the Cowboys to their best record this season, 11-2 (8-1 Big 12), since their last Fiesta Bowl appearance. Limited tickets are still available by visiting fiestabowl.org/tickets or calling 480.350.0911.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 15
Final CFP Rankings
Fan Lounge Experience the excitement of college football Bowl Season in a new, high-energy, engaging and social atmosphere, with the introduction of the Caesars Sportsbook Fan Lounge at the PlayStation Fiesta and Guaranteed Rate Bowls. This space is highly-desired, with only a limited capacity of 800 tickets available for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and 500 for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, so act now to join in the action! CLICK HERE TO LOUNGE LIKE AN EMPEROR
1. ALABAMA
6. OHIO STATE
2. MICHIGAN
7. BAYLOR
3. GEORGIA
8. OLE MISS
4. CINCINNATI
9. OKLAHOMA STATE
5. NOTRE DAME
10. MICHIGAN STATE
For full rankings, click here.
New Year’s Six Games
#12 PITTSBURGH VS #10 MICHIGAN STATE
#4 CINCINNATI VS #1 ALABAMA
#3 GEORGIA VS #2 MICHIGAN
12.30 | 5:00 PM | ESPN
12.31 | 1:30 PM | ESPN
12.31 | 5:30 PM | ESPN
#9 OKLAHOMA STATE VS #5 NOTRE DAME
#11 UTAH VS #6 OHIO STATE
#8 OLE MISS VS #7 BAYLOR
1.1 | 11:00 AM | ESPN
1.1 | 3:00 PM | ESPN
1.1 | 6:45 PM | ESPN
For a full Bowl Season schedule, click here: (All times in MST)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 15
The Mountaineers are led on offense by senior running back Leddie Brown, thanks to 1,095 yards and 13 touchdowns. Brown eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing yard mark in back-to-back seasons to make him the first West Virginia back to do so since 2016. The senior totaled 156 rushing yards against Kansas to close out the regular season making West Virginia 13-0 when rushing for 100 yards or more under third-year Head Coach Neal Brown. The stout West Virginia defense is led by All-Big 12 First Team selection senior defensive lineman Dante Stills. Stills recorded 32 tackles, 25 solo, and led the team with six sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
2021 GUARANTEED RATE BOWL GAME PREVIEW:
West Virginia vs. Minnesota
The 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl will feature its new Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup when Big 12’s West Virginia and Big Ten opponent Minnesota hit the field on Tuesday December 28, 2021. Kickoff is set for 8:15 pm MST in Downtown Phoenix and will be telecast live on ESPN. This will be the first-ever matchup between the Mountaineers and Gophers, while both have a place in Bowl history. West Virginia is 1-1 and last appeared in a thrilling 43-42 victory over Arizona State in 2016. West Virginia enters the Guaranteed Rate Bowl with a 6-6 (4-5 Big 12) record and is in Bowl Season for the 18th time in the last 20 years.
Minnesota has played in the Valley of the Sun three times, in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and carries an 0-3 Guaranteed Rate Bowl record. Minnesota enters the Guaranteed Rate Bowl with an 8-4 (6-3 Big Ten) record and is anchored by its experienced offensive line. The Gophers rushed for 2,575 yards and 25 scores this season, which is the program’s best marks since 2014 and 2016, respectively. The Gophers ended the regular season as the nation’s fourth-ranked defense, yielding only 284.8 yards per game. Senior defensive lineman Boye Mafe helps lead the defense, with six sacks, nine tackles for loss and 30 total tackles. Minnesota Head Coach PJ Fleck is in his fifth year at the helm and led the Gophers to their second eight-plus win season in the last three years. Tickets for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl are perfectly-priced for families, starting at $35 and available by visiting guaranteedratebowl.com.
Download the Fiesta Bowl App! Be sure to download the Fiesta Bowl app for easy access to all things gameday! PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl fans will be able to buy and manage tickets, parking and receive gameday information and updates. The app also features news, social media, organizational information, shopping and more! Download now on the App Store and Google Play!
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 15
MORE THAN JUST A GAME®
OPERATION SANTA
THE PARADE IS ON ITS WAY!
On Dec. 1, 40 Valley children had the holiday shopping experience of a lifetime thanks to Fiesta Bowl Charities, USAA and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Every December, these partner organizations come together to put on Operation Santa, a shopping spree experience for children who have a parent deployed in active military service. The children were selected through Fighter Country Foundation, a local organization that supports programs and services at Luke Air Force Base that aid and honor Airmen and their families.
Don’t miss the highlyanticipated return of the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner and Rowe, which will march down Central Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 18!
All participating youth were given a $300 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card and were paired with a USAA volunteer to assist with shopping for holiday gifts. The children were given free range of the store, where they tried on shoes and helmets, tested balls and equipment and selected new gear to sport. “You just watch their eyes pop and the excitement is buzzing,” said Kristina Chumpol, Fiesta Bowl Director of Community Relations. “They just can’t contain themselves. You’ll watch them bounce from section to section because the options are endless.”
Next week, giant balloons, colorful community floats, local performers and much more will take over Downtown Phoenix for this spectacular parade, which is Arizona’s highest-attended single day event! The march will be led by Grand Marshals Alice Cooper and the Fiesta Bowl Founders, who perfectly encapsulate this year’s parade theme, “Gold Standard: A Commitment to Comm-UNITY.” The Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner and Rowe is free to all! Fans looking to elevate their experience can purchase premium and reserved seats for $30. Just CLICK HERE! If you can’t attend the big event, watch it live on Arizona’s Family 3TV, online and through the AZFamily app.
WATCH NOW
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 15
JA NUA RY 1 , 2022
DE CE M B E R 28, 2021
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G /FIESTABOWL
@FIESTA_BOWL
GUARANTEEDRATEBOWL
@RATEBOWL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 15