San Jose State, Ball State to square off in Arizona Bowl
Dec 20, 2020, 2:30 PM
San Jose State cornerback Nehemiah Shelton holds the trophy while celebrating with teammates after defeating Boise State in an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
(AP Photo/John Locher)
The Arizona Bowl matchup is set.
The No. 22 San Jose State Spartans will take on the Ball State Cardinals on New Year’s Eve at 12 p.m. at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.
The Clash of Champions is set. The Arizona Bowl is proud to welcome Mountain West Champion @SanJoseStateFB and MAC Champion @BallStateFB to Tucson! We will see you on NYE on @CBSSports. #bowlseason pic.twitter.com/WDJgrOf0ac
— Arizona Bowl (@theARIZONABOWL) December 20, 2020
The Spartans (7-0) enter the game after beating Boise State 34-20 for their first Mountain West Conference championship.
The Spartans, who had lost all 14 previous meetings with the Broncos, now prepare for their 11th bowl appearance since 1946, and for the first time as an undefeated team.
Ball State (6-1) heads to Tucson following a 38-28 win over Buffalo for the Mid-American Conference championship.
The championship marks the first for Ball State since 1996, the season before the title game was added.
The Cardinals scored at least 27 points in all seven of their games this season, having lost only the season opener against the Miami-Ohio Redhawks.
Looking at the other bowl games in Arizona, the Fiesta Bowl is set to feature the Iowa State Cyclones and Oregon Ducks. Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix has yet to announce its matchup.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
