New bowl game prediction has Arizona in Alamo Bowl, ASU in Poinsettia Bowl

It’s that time of year when we look ahead and see what potential bowl game matchups could be at the end of the college football season.

On3’s Brett McMurphy released his latest predictions ahead of Week 9, and Arizona State was one of his additions.

McMurphy predicts ASU will face Fresno State in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 23.

That matchup would be significant for two reasons. It would give head coach Kenny Dillingham an opportunity for revenge against the Bulldogs after they came to Tempe and slammed the Sun Devils, 29-0, in 2023 — Dillingham’s first year at the helm.

The other significance: sixth-year quarterback Mikey Keene was Fresno State’s starter in that game. He completed 32 of 49 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

Keene spent two seasons with the Bulldogs, passing for 5,868 yards and 42 touchdowns with 21 interceptions. He was a two-time All-Mountain West honorable mention honoree.

McMurphy has Arizona playing Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 29, which is possible because of the Wildcats Pac-12 legacy tie-in. The Alamo Bowl has been a matchup of Pac-12 and Big 12 teams since 2010.

The Wildcats and Cowboys have played each other 10 times throughout their history and have split the games. They faced each other last season, and Arizona won 41-13 in Tucson.

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