GLENDALE, Ariz. — Happy New Year football fans! The first college football game of 2024 has arrived as No. 8 Oregon and No. 18 Liberty are set to face off in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
But how exactly did these teams make it to the 53rd Fiesta Bowl? Let's break it down, starting with Oregon.
Meet the Oregon Ducks
Oregon finished as the runner-up in the final season of the Pac-12 Conference after losing to No. 2 Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Ducks finished their season 11-2, with both losses coming to the Huskies. This season, Oregon beat Portland State, Texas Tech, Hawaii, Colorado, Stanford, Washington State, Utah, Cal, USC, ASU and Oregon State.
The Ducks are led by Head Coach Dan Lanning, who is in his second season with Oregon. Before moving to Oregon, Lanning spent four years as a coach with the Georgia Bulldogs. He also coached at ASU in 2012 and 2013.
Oregon's starting quarterback, Bo Nix, is wrapping up his college career and his second season with the Ducks after transferring from Auburn. Nix has thrown for 4,145 yards and 40 touchdowns this season. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist and the winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is given to the college football player who is "the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership," according to the Campbell Trophy website.
This will be Oregon's fourth time playing in the Fiesta Bowl, and fifth time playing a bowl game in Arizona. In 2002, Oregon beat Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl, which was played at what was then called Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
The Ducks also played in the Fiesta Bowl in 2013 and 2021 (both games in Glendale), but went 1-1 in those games. The Ducks also played in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game at State Farm Stadium. The Ducks lost that game, 22-19, to Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers.
After this season, the Ducks will be headed to the Big Ten Conference, along with Washington, USC and UCLA.
The University of Oregon is located in Eugene, Oregon, and has a total enrollment of 23,202 students. It was founded in 1876 and famous alumni include actor Ty Burrell, Nike founder Phil Knight and former Today anchor Ann Curry.
Meet the Liberty Flames
Liberty is playing in the biggest game in program history. The Flames finished their season undefeated at 13-0 and as the champions of Conference USA. Liberty beat Bowling Green, New Mexico State (twice), Buffalo, FIU, Sam Houston, Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, UMass and UTEP.
The Flames were selected to play in the Fiesta Bowl as they finished as the highest-ranked team in the "Group of Five" conferences (C-USA, Mountain West, American Athletic Conference, Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference). This earned them an automatic selection to a New Year's Six bowl game (Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl). Since they do not have an automatic conference tie-in to one of the New Year's Six games, they were placed in the Fiesta Bowl.
This will be Liberty's first-ever appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Flames are led by Head Coach Jamey Chadwell, who is wrapping up his first season with the Flames after coming over from Coastal Carolina.
Liberty's starting quarterback, Kaidon Salter, threw for 2,750 yards and 31 touchdowns this season.
Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and has an enrollment of 15,800 on-campus students. Adding in online students brings Liberty's total enrollment to more than 130,000 students. Liberty was founded in 1971 and famous alumni include Christian hip hop artist TobyMac, ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown anchor Samantha Ponder and NFL running back Rashad Jennings.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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