Fiesta Bowl CEO: ASU being in local quarterfinal would’ve been ‘like a Disney movie’
Dec 9, 2024, 6:47 AM | Updated: 7:28 am
SCOTTSDALE — ASU football received a first-round bye into the CFP quarterfinals, but it came with a cross-country trip and without local support due to missing the Fiesta Bowl.
The No. 4 Sun Devils will travel nearly 1,600 miles for their quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta instead of traveling less than 30 miles to the Glendale bowl game, where No. 3 seed Boise State was slotted.
“It would’ve been a storybook kind of ending to have that team that was expected to come in last in their conference, first year in the conference, wins the conference championship, second year for their coach,” Fiesta Bowl CEO Erik Moses told reporters Sunday. “I mean, it goes on and it’s like a Disney movie.”
Head coach Kenny Dillingham led his team to the best turnaround in program history after a 3-9 season in 2023. The minor disappointment in missing an essential home playoff game wasn’t lost on him, but it comes with the perspective that ASU earned the same opportunity of a spot in the College Football Playoff, with a bye.
“I know, obviously, the Fiesta Bowl would’ve been at home, but we have a lot of guys on our roster from Texas. We have a lot of guys from Louisiana. We have some guys from Georgia, from Florida,” Dillingham said in a Sunday Zoom call.
“So the Peach Bowl has been one of those bowls that they grew up watching, idolizing and wanting to be a part of. And for us to get selected there, those guys couldn’t be more excited.”
Why didn’t ASU land in the Fiesta Bowl for its CFP quarterfinal?
The committee makes its bowl designation choices based on geography and historical ties to the bowl itself, both of which leaned toward the Fiesta Bowl for ASU (5-1 all-time in the bowl), but also for the higher ranked Boise State (3-0).
“Everybody knows that our game wouldn’t exist were it not for Arizona State,” Moses said. “They are a part of our origin story.”
ASU will make its second appearance in the Peach Bowl after winning it in 1970 behind legendary coach Frank Kush.
It was after that 1970 game which included snow and ice, Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stoken recounted on Sunday, that made ASU representatives want to host their own bowl game.
Thus, the Fiesta Bowl was born.
“It would’ve been perfect, but I’m happy for Kenny and for Graham (Rossini) and Dr. (Michael) Crow and all those people that they got a bye this year. They’ll be down in the Peach Bowl, and you know, we don’t get to choose,” Moses said. “Let’s make certain that everybody understands that: we don’t get to choose who plays in our game.”
Fiesta Bowl CEO Erik Moses said they were anticipating Boise State because of how established they were in the rankings all season long. pic.twitter.com/9oHmVAcrpy
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 8, 2024
Lindsey Brist, a second-year member of the Fiesta Bowl committee and Boise State alumna who attended the Broncos’ 2007 and 2010 Fiesta Bowl wins, was perhaps the most excited person in the room when the announcement was made.
“They had a great season. Obviously, there’s a lot of hype around (running back and Heisman candidate Ashton) Jeanty, he’s amazing. I heard in Boise that one of the snow plow companies put ‘Jeanty’ on the front of the snow plow,” Brist said. “I think for them to come to the Fiesta Bowl, it’s a reflection of … the season they had.”
Jeanty is Brist’s pick for the Heisman award, although she admitted she’s a little biased toward the running back who is now up to 2,497 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns on the season.
No. 6 Penn State and No. 11 SMU will face off in a first-round game in Happy Valley on Dec. 21 to determine Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl opponent on Dec. 31. The Big Ten and ACC title games had massive ripple effects to cause this and the Peach Bowl matchups.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a close loss to Oregon, 45-37, after their comeback attempt came up short.
SMU also couldn’t complete a comeback after Clemson, one of ASU’s potential Peach Bowl opponents, rushed out of the gates to a 14-0 lead in just a few minutes.
Both teams fell in the process, and it allowed Clemson to sneak into the bracket, knocking Alabama out entirely. SMU’s loss also cleared the path for Arizona State to move into a bye given to one of the four best conference winners across the country.
