Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Chase Field

Guaranteed Rate Bowl 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, December 28 • Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix

By Ron Sanzone

The 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl will pit the Big 10’s Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4) against the Big 12’s West Virginia Mountaineers (6-6). Each team will bring the momentum of a two-game winning streak to Chase Field on December 28.

Scott Leightman, the game’s senior director of communications, says it’s the only bowl this year to feature opponents from the Big 10 and Big 12.

“This is a Big 10/Big 12 matchup,” he says. “It’s the only one in bowl season that has those two conferences. So, we’re especially proud of that with these two conferences who are at the elite of college football. It’s the first time since 2013 that we’ll have this matchup.”

Minnesota and West Virginia have never played each other, but neither is a stranger to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Minnesota has made three appearances, the most recent in 2009. This will be West Virginia’s third appearance, the last coming in 2016. Both programs are excited about returning to the Valley.

“This is a great matchup,” says Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck. “We’re excited to be there in 70-degree plus. Count us in anytime we’re coming from Minnesota during the winter.”

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is equally enthusiastic.

“Our staff and our players are extremely excited about the opportunity to play Minnesota in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix,” he says. “What better place to be in the month of December than Phoenix, Arizona. So, we’re looking forward to spending a few days in the desert.”

The day after the opponents of the game’s 32nd edition were announced, news broke of an intriguing move impacting both teams’ coaching staffs. West Virginia senior offensive analyst Kirk Ciarrocca left the Mountaineers to become the Golden Gophers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Ciarrocca served Minnesota in the same capacity from 2017 to 2019. The move was imminent before either school learned they would be facing each other in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Fleck and Brown, who enjoy a good relationship, discussed the situation and agreed that Ciarrocca would not coach the bowl game.

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl was founded in 1989 and played in Tucson until moving to the Valley in 2000. It has rotated through several corporate sponsors and was last played as the Cheez-It Bowl two years ago. The year 2020 would have been the inaugural contest played under the sponsorship of Guaranteed Rate, but the game was canceled due to the difficulty of finding opponents following a pandemic-disrupted and shortened college football regular season.

The game will be televised on ESPN. For information on tickets, visit fiestabowl.org, call 480.350.0911, or email tickets@ fiestabowl.org.