Guaranteed Rate Bowl to feature Kansas Jayhawks against UNLV Rebels

The Kansas Jayhawks will play the UNLV Rebels in the 34th annual Guaranteed Rate Bowl. It will take place at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field, at 7 p.m. on Dec. 26. ESPN will air the game.

Kansas (8-4) had its best season since 2008, when it also won eight games. The Jayhawks went 5-4 in the Big 12 Conference this season including an upset victory versus now-No. 12 Oklahoma.

After ending a 14-year bowl drought last season (the longest streak amongst all Power Five teams), the Jayhawks are playing in a bowl game for the second straight season and the second time overall under coach Lance Leipold. The Jayhawks lost 55-53 in overtime in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas in 2022.

The only other time Kansas played in bowl games in back-to-back years was in 2007 and 2008 when the Jayhawks last played in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl (then the Insight Bowl) when they beat Minnesota 42-21 in 2008. That game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. This will be the 14th time the game will be played at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

UNLV (9-4, 6-2 in Mountain West Conference) reached their fifth bowl game in program history this year. The Rebels have never played in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. UNLV lost 44-20 against Boise State on Saturday in the Rebels’ first Mountain West title game appearance. UNLV is appearing in its first bowl game since it lost against North Texas 36-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1, 2014.

Kansas and UNLV also played against each other in 2002 and 2003. UNLV won 31-20 in 2002 in Las Vegas and Kansas won 46-24 in Lawrence in 2003.

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