The Fiesta Bowl has been an Arizona mainstay since its inception in 1971. Having been held at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe until 2006, the Fiesta Bowl now calls State Farm Stadium home.
Here’s some Fiesta Bowl history as well as the best Arizona sportsbooks for college football betting.
This Year’s Fiesta Bowl
The 2022-2023 Fiesta Bowl will be held on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET in Glendale, AZ, at State Farm Stadium as one of the College Football Playoff semifinal games.
This will be the first year to have Vrbo as the corporate title sponsor, replacing PlayStation.
WAC Beginnings
The Fiesta Bowl was a product of the Western Athletic Conference and its frustration surrounding its struggles to get bowl invitations for WAC champions. For the first several years, the game had a WAC tie-in, and the champion from that year had an automatic bid. The inaugural Fiesta Bowl game was a matchup between No. 8 Arizona State and Florida State, with the Sun Devils winning 45-38.
The conference tie-in was eliminated in 1978 when Arizona and Arizona State left the WAC for the then Pac-10.
Fun fact: The Fiesta Bowl was the first bowl game to have a corporate title sponsor. Sunkist Growers sponsored the game, naming it the ‘Sunkist Fiesta Bowl’.
Most Recent Fiesta Bowl Games
- 2021: No. 9 Oklahoma State defeats No. 5 Notre Dame, 37-35
- 2020: No. 12 Iowa State defeats No. 25 Oregon, 34-17
- 2019: No. 3 Clemson defeats No. 2 Ohio State, 29-23
Top Online Sportsbooks for College Football Betting
For Arizona residents and college football fans traveling to cheer on their team, the Grand Canyon State has plenty of mobile apps for those wanting to get in on the action. There is also a brand new BetMGM retail sportsbook located inside State Farm Stadium.
BetMGM Best for Vegas players First Bet Offer Up to $1,500 paid back in Bonus Bets (if you don’t win) Visit BetMGM - Use code SHARP
FanDuel Best iOS & Android App $200 No Sweat First Bet Visit FanDuel
BetRivers Best for player-friendly promotions $100 2nd chance bet Visit BetRivers - Use code SHARPRIV
DraftKings Best overall betting experience $1,000 deposit match bonus Visit DraftKings
Caesars Best for loyalty program First bet on Caesars up to $1,000 + 1000 Tier Credits + 1000 Reward Credits® Visit Caesars - Use code SHARPBET1000
Photo courtesy of Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire
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