About The Fiesta Bowl
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is one of the most popular college football bowl games to be played in the United States. Originating in 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has been a member of the College Football Playoffs (CFP) since 2014. However, they have also been a part of Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, and Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in the past.
The first Fiesta Bowl game was played on December 27, 1971, between the Florida State Seminoles and the Arizona State Sun Devils. The early years of the Fiesta Bowl saw the game being played in the Sun Devil Stadium. However, the location of the game has changed to State Farm Stadium since 2007. The 2024-2025 edition of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl game took place on December 31, 2024, with the Penn State Nittany Lions facing off against the Boise State Broncos. The Penn State Nittany Lions won the Fiesta Bowl 31-14 against the Boise State Broncos.
Fiesta Bowl History
The beginning of the Fiesta Bowl can be traced to the Western Athletic Conference wanted its 1968 and 1969 champions to be invited to bowl games, as per NCAA Football. This resulted in the creation of the Fiesta Bowl which played its first game on December 27, 1971. Notably, the Fiesta Bowl saw the battle for the national championship for the first time in 1987 when the Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Miami Hurricanes to become the national champions. The Fiesta Bowl also saw controversy in 1991, when various colleges refused to participate in it as the state of Arizona did not recognize the Martin Luther King Holiday, as per NCAA Football.
This was followed by the Fiesta Bowl playing its first Bowl Championship Series game in 1999, in which the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Florida State Seminoles to win the game. The 2007 version of the Fiesta Bowl game has been considered to be one of the greatest college football games. In this game, the Boise State Broncos defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 43-42. This was also the first Fiesta Bowl game to be played at State Farm Stadium (then called University of Phoenix Stadium).
In modern times, the Fiesta Bowl hosted College Football Playoff (CFP) games in the 2016, 2019 and 2022 seasons. Additionally, the Fiesta Bowl also celebrated its 50th edition in 2020, which was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fiesta Bowl Game Schedule 2024
The 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl game took place on December 31, 2024, at 5:30 pm at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States as per the Fiesta Bowl official site. The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Boise State Broncos faced off against each other at the game. Penn State won the game 31-14.
Fiesta Bowl Game Time
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl game for the 2024-2025 season started at 5:30 pm at State Farm Stadium on December 31, 2024, as per the Fiesta Bowl official site.
Fiesta Bowl Teams Qualified for 2024
The following teams competed in the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl game-
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are one of the teams that have qualified for the Fiesta Bowl game for the 2024-2025 season. Presently seeded at No. 6, the team has gained victory against the SMU Mustangs with a 38-10 record at the College Football Playoff-1st Round with a 38-10 record as per the Fiesta Bowl official site. They have also gained a 12-2 record in the regular season as per Sports Reference. They also won the Fiesta Bowl 31-14.
Boise State Broncos
The Boise State Broncos are the second team that has qualified for the 2024-2025 Fiesta Bowl game. This team is presently seeded at No.3 and has gained a 12-1 record in the 2024 regular season game as per Sports Reference. The Broncos lost the game 14-31 to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Fiesta Bowl Game Tickets
The 54th version of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl occurred on December 31, 2024, at State Farm Stadium. The kickoff happened at 5:30 pm as per the Fiesta Bowl official site. The tickets for the game were live on Seat Geek, the official ticketing partner of the game. Pricing for the tickets started at $159 and varied according to the seating arrangements.
Fiesta Bowl Location: State Farm Stadium
State Farm Stadium, formerly known as University of Phoenix Stadium has been the home of the Fiesta Bowl games since 2007. This stadium is notable for being the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). The construction of the stadium cost $455 million and presently has a sitting capacity of 63,400 fans, as per StadiumDB.
State Farm Stadium is notable for being the only stadium in the United States with both a retractable roof and a sliding pitch. This makes it easier for the stadium to host both football games as well as several other events. Notably, the field is placed inside the stadium on game days while it is kept outside the stadium on other days so that it receives enough sunlight and water for growth as per Stadiums of Pro Football.
Fiesta Bowl Records
| Category | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 96, TCU (51) vs. Michigan (45) | Dec. 2022 |
| Most points scored (one team) | 62, Nebraska vs. Florida | 1996 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 45, Michigan vs. TCU | Dec. 2022 |
| Fewest points allowed | 0, Clemson (31) vs. Ohio State 0, Arizona (29) vs. Miami | 2016 1994 |
| Largest margin of victory | 38, Nebraska (62) vs. Florida (24) | 1996 |
| First downs | 34, Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame | Jan. 2022 |
| Rushing yards | 524, Nebraska vs. Florida | 1996 |
| Passing yards | 509, Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State | Jan. 2022 |
| Total yards | 718, Arizona State vs. Missouri | 1972 |
| Fewest Rushing yards allowed | -28, Nebraska vs. Florida | 1996 |
| Fewest Passing yards allowed | 23, Wyoming vs. Oklahoma | 1976 |
| Fewest Total yards allowed | 155, Oregon State vs. Notre Dame | 2001 |
| Category | Performance, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Total offense | 505, Jack Coan, Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State (509 pass, -4 rush) | Jan. 2022 |
| Rushing yards | 245, Marcus Dupree, Oklahoma vs. Arizona State (17 att., 0 TD) | 1983 |
| Rushing TDs | 4, Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State vs. Notre Dame 4, Woody Green, Arizona State vs. Missouri | 2016 1972 |
| Passing yards | 509, Jack Coan, Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State | Jan. 2022 |
| Passing TDs | 5, Jack Coan, Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State 5Peter Tom Willis, Florida State vs. Nebraska | Jan. 2022 1990 |
| Receiving yards | 206, Darnell McDonald, Kansas State vs. Syracuse | 1998 |
| Receiving TDs | 3, shared by four players | |
| Tackles | 18, Ted Johnson, Colorado vs. Notre Dame | 1995 |
| Sacks | 3, shared by three players | |
| Interceptions | 3, Steve Smith, Oregon vs. Colorado | 2002 |
| Category | Performance, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 92, Saquon Barkley, Penn State vs. Washington | 2017 |
| Touchdown pass | 85, Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes, Ohio State vs. Notre Dame | 2006 |
| Kickoff return | 100, shared by:Kirby Dar Dar, Syracuse vs. Colorado<br>Mike Fink, Missouri vs. Arizona State | 1993 1972 |
| Punt return | 68, shared by:Eddie Brown, Miami vs. UCLA Steve Holden, Arizona State vs. Florida State | 1985 1971 |
| Interception return | 54, Dwayne Goodrich, Tennessee vs. Florida State | 1999 |
| Punt | 66, Pat McAfee, West Virginia vs. Oklahoma | 2008 |
| Field goal | 59, Jake Moody, Michigan vs. TCU | Dec. 2022 |
Fiesta Bowl Winner List
There have been 54 Fiesta Bowl games played over the years. The following is an account of all the winners of the Fiesta Bowl games from 1971 to 2024 -
1971: No. 8 Arizona State
1972: No. 15 Arizona State
1973: No. 10 Arizona State
1974: Oklahoma State
1975: No. 7 Arizona State
1976: No. 8 Oklahoma
1977: No. 8 Penn State
1978: No. 8 Arkansas
1979: No. 10 Pittsburgh
1980: No. 10 Penn State
1982: No. 7 Penn State
1983: No. 11 Arizona State
1984: No. 14 Ohio State
1985: No. 14 UCLA
1986: No. 5 Michigan
1987: No. 2 Penn State
1988: No. 3 Florida State
1989: No. 1 Notre Dame
1990: No. 5 Florida State
1991: No. 18 Louisville
1992: No. 6 Penn State
1993: No. 6 Syracuse
1994: No. 16 Arizona
1995: No. 4 Colorado
1996: No. 1 Nebraska
1997: No. 7 Penn State
1997: No. 10 Kansas State
1999: No. 1 Tennessee
2000: No. 3 Nebraska
2001: No. 5 Oregon State
2002: No. 2 Oregon
2003: No. 2 Ohio State
2004: No. 7 Ohio State
2005: No. 5 Utah
2006: No. 4 Ohio State
2007: No. 9 Boise State
2008: No. 11 West Virginia
2009: No. 3 Texas
2010: No. 6 Boise State
2011: No. 9 Oklahoma
2012: No. 3 Oklahoma State
2013: No. 5 Oregon
2014: No. 15 UCF
2014: No. 21 Boise State
2016: No. 7 Ohio State
2016: No. 3 Clemson
2017: No. 9 Penn State
2019: No. 11 LSU
2019: No. 3 Clemson
2021: No. 12 Iowa State
2022: No. 9 Oklahoma State
2023: No. 3 TCU
2024: Penn State
FAQ on The Fiesta Bowl
A: The Fiesta Bowl was played on December 31, 2024, at State Farm Stadium.
A: Yes, the Fiesta Bowl is hosted in a stadium with a retractable roof and features a natural grass playing surface. The stadium boasts a seating capacity of 63,400.
A: The Fiesta Bowl stadium serves as the home ground for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and hosts the annual Fiesta Bowl.
A: The Fiesta Bowl stadium has a seating capacity of 63,400, offering ample space for spectators to enjoy the games.
A: The teams that competed in the 2024-2025 Fiesta Bowl are the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 3 Boise State Broncos.
