Arizona Wildcats headed to Fiesta Bowl

The #10 Pac-12 South Champs are staying close to home this holiday season, as the Arizona Wildcats were selected to play in the Vizio Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. The #20 Mountain West Conference Champions Boise State Broncos will make their way to the Fiesta Bowl for the third time in nine years.

Boise State comes in at 11-2, finishing the season on a eight-game winning streak. Their first loss came from #18 Ole Miss on a “neutral site” in Atlanta, Georgia by a final score of 35-13 in week one. Their second loss was at the United States Air Force Academy by a final score of 28-14 in late September.

Boise State runs a fast offense, something Arizona is used to seeing everyday in practice and every week playing in the Pac-12. They run just under 80 plays a game, ranking 26th in passing yards, 31st in rushing yards and 9th in points per game. One could argue that Boise State has these great statistics due to their strength of schedule, which is ranked 68th.

For Arizona, there have been struggles on offense a few times this season, most recently in the Pac-12 Championship Game, which we’re all trying to forget about. Despite the struggles throughout the season, Arizona ranks 28th in passing yards, 46th in rushing yards and 28th in points per game. The big difference between the two come in strength of schedule, where Arizona’s schedule ranks 8th toughest in the country.

Although the Fiesta Bowl is a big time stage and has a lot of local buzz, the game has little value to Arizona in the eyes of the viewers. If Arizona wins, it’s a game they’re expected to win against a MWC conference team whom many don’t want to see in this big of a bowl game. If Arizona were to lose, it’s seen more as an embarrassing loss for Arizona than the program shaping victory for Boise State. A big bowl game for Arizona’s football program in terms of prestige and recruiting, but a big risk comes with it.

Look out for more coverage on this game in the coming weeks.