The Fiesta Bowl is a college football bowl game, popular among college football fans in the United States. Officially known as the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, this game was first established in 1971 and has been played 53 times, as of January 2025. The Fiesta Bowl has been a member of the College Football Playoffs since 2014. It also had tie-ins with the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) from 1971 to 1978 and the Big 12 Conference from 1997 to 2013.
The first Fiesta Bowl game saw the Arizona State Sun Devils facing off against the Florida State Seminoles on December 27, 1971. In this first game, Arizona State defeated Florida State 45-38. Since then, the Fiesta Bowl game has taken place every year. The Fiesta Bowl is played at the State Farm Stadium. The 53rd edition of the Fiesta Bowl kicked off on December 31, 2024. The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Boise State Broncos faced off against one another. Penn State emerged victorious in the game with a 31-14, against Boise State.
List of Fiesta Bowl winners year-by-year
There have been 53 editions of the Fiesta Bowl games played from its beginning in 1971 to 2024. The first game featured Arizona State vs Florida State while the most recent game featured Penn State competing against Boise State. The following table is an account of all the Fiesta Bowl games over the years and their results including the winners and the losers-
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | ||
| December 27, 1971 | Arizona State | 45 | Florida State | 38 | 51,089 |
| December 23, 1972 | Arizona State | 49 | Missouri | 35 | 51,318 |
| December 21, 1973 | Arizona State | 28 | Pittsburgh | 7 | 50,878 |
| December 28, 1974 | Oklahoma State | 16 | BYU | 6 | 50,878 |
| December 26, 1975 | Arizona State | 17 | Nebraska | 14 | 51,396 |
| December 25, 1976 | Oklahoma | 41 | Wyoming | 7 | 48,174 |
| December 25, 1977 | Penn State | 42 | Arizona State | 30 | 57,727 |
| December 25, 1978 | Arkansas | 10 | UCLA | 10 | 55,227 |
| December 25, 1979 | Pittsburgh | 16 | Arizona | 10 | 55,347 |
| December 26, 1980 | Penn State | 31 | Ohio State | 19 | 66,738 |
| January 1, 1982 | Penn State | 26 | USC | 10 | 71,053 |
| January 1, 1983 | Arizona State | 32 | Oklahoma | 21 | 70,533 |
| January 2, 1984 | Ohio State | 28 | Pittsburgh | 23 | 66,484 |
| January 1, 1985 | UCLA | 39 | Miami (Florida) | 37 | 60,310 |
| January 1, 1986 | Michigan | 27 | Nebraska | 23 | 72,454 |
| January 2, 1987 | Penn State | 14 | Miami (Florida) | 10 | 73,098 |
| January 1, 1988 | Florida State | 31 | Nebraska | 28 | 72,112 |
| January 2, 1989 | Notre Dame | 34 | West Virginia | 21 | 74,911 |
| January 1, 1990 | Florida State | 41 | Nebraska | 17 | 73,953 |
| January 1, 1991 | Louisville | 34 | Alabama | 7 | 69,098 |
| January 1, 1992 | Penn State | 42 | Tennessee | 17 | 71,133 |
| January 1, 1993 | Syracuse | 26 | Colorado | 22 | 70,224 |
| January 1, 1994 | Arizona | 29 | Miami (Florida) | 0 | 72,260 |
| January 2, 1995 | Colorado | 41 | Notre Dame | 24 | 73,968 |
| January 2, 1996 (BA) | Nebraska | 62 | Florida | 24 | 79,864 |
| January 1, 1997 | Penn State | 38 | Texas | 15 | 65,106 |
| December 31, 1997 | Kansas State | 35 | Syracuse | 18 | 69,367 |
| January 4, 1999 (BCS) | Tennessee | 23 | Florida State | 16 | 80,470 |
| January 2, 2000 | Nebraska | 31 | Tennessee | 21 | 71,526 |
| January 1, 2001 | Oregon State | 41 | Notre Dame | 9 | 75,428 |
| January 1, 2002 | Oregon | 38 | Colorado | 16 | 74,118 |
| January 3, 2003 (BCS) | Ohio State | 31 | Miami (Florida) | 24 | 77,502 |
| January 2, 2004 | Ohio State | 35 | Kansas State | 28 | 73,425 |
| January 1, 2005 | Utah | 35 | Pittsburgh | 7 | 73,519 |
| January 2, 2006 | Ohio State | 34 | Notre Dame | 20 | 76,196 |
| January 1, 2007 | Boise State | 43 | Oklahoma | 42 | 73,719 |
| January 2, 2008 | West Virginia | 48 | Oklahoma | 28 | 70,016 |
| January 5, 2009 | Texas | 24 | Ohio State | 21 | 72,047 |
| January 4, 2010 | Boise State | 17 | TCU | 10 | 73,227 |
| January 1, 2011 | Oklahoma | 48 | Connecticut | 20 | 67,232 |
| January 2, 2012 | Oklahoma State | 41 | Stanford | 38 | 69,927 |
| January 3, 2013 | Oregon | 35 | Kansas State | 17 | 70,242 |
| January 1, 2014 | UCF | 52 | Baylor | 42 | 65,172 |
| December 31, 2014 | Boise State | 38 | Arizona | 30 | 66,896 |
| January 1, 2016 | Ohio State | 44 | Notre Dame | 28 | 71,123 |
| December 31, 2016 (CFP) | Clemson | 31 | Ohio State | 0 | 70,236 |
| December 30, 2017 | Penn State | 35 | Washington | 28 | 61,842 |
| January 1, 2019 | LSU | 40 | UCF | 32 | 69,927 |
| December 28, 2019 (CFP) | Clemson | 29 | Ohio State | 23 | 71,330 |
| January 2, 2021 | Iowa State | 34 | Oregon | 17 | 0 |
| January 1, 2022 | Oklahoma State | 37 | Notre Dame | 35 | 49,550 |
| December 31, 2022 (CFP) | TCU | 51 | Michigan | 45 | 71,723 |
| January 1, 2024 | Oregon | 45 | Liberty | 6 | 47,769 |
| December 31, 2024 (CFP) | Penn State | 31 | Boise State | 14 | 63,854 |
Read More:- Cotton Bowl Classic Winners Year by Year
Fiesta Bowl sponsorship and broadcasting rights
The Fiesta Bowl game has been sponsored by Vrbo since 2022, and it is officially known as the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Previous sponsors include PlayStation (December 2016–2022), BattleFrog (January 2016), Vizio (December 2014), Tostitos (1996–January 2014), IBM (1993–1995), and Sunkist (1986–1990).
The broadcasting rights for the Fiesta Bowl are held by ESPN, which airs the game across its television and digital platforms. ESPN also provides comprehensive pre-game and post-game analysis, enhancing the overall experience for fans.
FAQs on The Fiesta Bowl
A. The Fiesta Bowl was established in 1971.
A. Yes, the Fiesta Bowl is part of the College Football Playoff (CFP) rotation.
A. The Fiesta Bowl is played at State Farm Stadium.
A. The Fiesta Bowl has been sponsored by Vrbo, since 2022.
A. The Penn State Nittany Lions won the 2024 Fiesta Bowl game against their opponents, the Boise State Broncos with a record of 31-14.
