Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Knights, LSU create a ‘darn good matchup’
In the hours leading up to the release of the final College Football Playoff rankings, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl executive director Mike Nealy had a pretty good idea which teams could be in the mix for his game.
“I knew it was between Florida, LSU, UCF and Michigan,” Nealy recalled. “And just by default, I was excited because I knew they weren’t going to put two SEC teams together and UCF had played in the Peach Bowl last year so I was thinking it was pretty natural that we were going to get an undefeated UCF team and LSU, and that’s the way it turned out.”
No. 8 UCF (12-0) puts its nation-leading 25-game winning streak on the line when the Knights take on No. 11 LSU (9-3) at State Farm Stadium on New Year’s Day. It’s the second consecutive season during which the Knights have played in a New Year’s Six bowl game.
“I think we have the best matchup as far as the two teams and what we could expect,” Nealy said. “I think we’ve got a great game lined up and I don’t think I’m alone there; there have been some publications that have ranked it [the game] pretty high.
“I know we’re expecting a darn good matchup.”
The response from local residents in the Phoenix area has been positive, according to Nealy.
“The buzz that I’m hearing, even by individuals, is that this is a good matchup and they’re excited; those people who don’t follow or get a chance to follow UCF are intrigued and are interested in that,” Nealy added. “We don’t have an SEC team out here too often. In
fact, it’s LSU first trip out here, so that adds to the excitement as well.”
Fans making the trek to the game can expect to find plenty to do as Phoenix is similar to Orlando in that it’s a resort town.
“There’s a lot of nice places to see and great accommodations across the whole valley,” Nealy said. “If you’re an outdoors person, there is hiking and we have the Grand Canyon, so there are certainly some big landmarks to catch as well. There are plenty of good foodie places, arts and lots of activities.”
There’s also plenty to do for sports fan as well.
“If you’re a sports person, there’s NBA basketball that week, there’s NHL hockey and, of course, we’re known for our golf courses as well,” he added.
One of the major draws over the years has been the Fiesta Bowl Parade on Saturday.
“It’s a big deal. It’s still our largest one-day event in Arizona. Over 100,000-plus will line the streets. So that’s something to put on your radar if you’re going to be here on the 29th,” he said.
When the teams arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Thursday, they received a warm welcome from Fiesta Bowl officials and a marching band.
“I think the studentathletes get just as much out of that as the recipients,” Nealy said of the charity event. “We don’t try to over-program and we respect the fact that they have work to do and the coaches want them to be focused on the game as well.”