With Notre Dame’s arrival in Phoenix on Monday, both Fiesta Bowl teams are officially in the Valley.
The Fighting Irish, ranked No. 5 with an 11-1 record, will meet No. 9 Oklahoma State and its 11-2 mark in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Glendale. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 1, at State Farm Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive.
Marcus Freeman, who quickly became Notre Dame’s new head coach this month after Brian Kelly stepped down in late November to take the post at Louisiana State University, spoke to the media Monday after touching down at Sky Harbor International Airport.
“This will be my fourth Fiesta Bowl. This will be my first as a coach,” he said. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be back down here in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona. We just touched down not maybe 30 minutes ago and what a beautiful city. What a beautiful environment.”
Glendale has hosted the Fiesta Bowl since 2007, when Boise State nipped Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime in what became an instant classic in the bowl game’s history. The inaugural Fiesta Bowl took place in 1971, and saw Arizona State beat Florida State 45-38 in the game’s former longtime home at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
This time around, the matchup will feature the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.
OSU arrived in the Valley Dec. 26 and started workouts at Scottsdale’s Saguaro High School. In a hometown tie-in, current Oklahoma State offensive line coach and Scottsdale native Charlie Dickey played his high school football at Saguaro as an all-state offensive lineman.
The Irish concluded its regular season on a seven-game winning streak while the Cowboys are coming off a 21-16 loss to No. 7 Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game. Defensively, Oklahoma State ranks third in total defense (278.4 yards per game), eighth in scoring defense (16.8 points per game) and leads the nation in sacks (55) and tackles for loss (113).1
Early betting lines show Notre Dame to be a 2.5-point favorite.
With a full slate of games scheduled for this bowl season, it marks quite a difference from a year ago. COVID allowed only 25 of the 42 scheduled bowl games to go on to cap a regular season that saw more than 100 games postponed or canceled because of the pandemic.
Should any outbreaks occur for either Fiesta Bowl team between now and the New Year’s Day kickoff, the College Football Playoff said organizers for both Glendale’s Fiesta Bowl and for the Peach Bowl in Atlanta (No. 11 Michigan State vs. No. 13 Pitt, Dec. 30) will attempt to identify potential makeup dates, if necessary, within a week of the scheduled game.
Steve Stockmar News Editor | Sun Life Magazine & Arts & Entertainment
YourValley.net @stevestockmar
Meet Steve Steve Stockmar joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, and has been an Arizona journalist for almost 30 years. He serves as editor of Sun Life Magazine and contributes to West Valley communities where he focuses mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference.
Community: Every season Steve serves as a “buddy” with the Miracle League of Arizona in Scottsdale, has volunteered his time with Family Promise in Glendale, and previously served on the Ghostlight Theatre board in Sun City West.
Education: Graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a Journalism major and English minor.
Random Fact: Steve once won a 50-player live Texas Hold ’Em poker tournament.
Hobbies: Anguishing over his beloved Chicago Cubs and Bears; listening to Beatles and Grateful Dead music.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here