Fiesta Bowl profile could rise should CFP expand
A berth in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl can sort of be viewed as a nice consolation prize, at least this year. The New Year's Day event will feature two high-profile programs in No. 5 Notre Dame (11-1) and No. 9 Oklahoma State (11-2) in an 11 a.m. showdown at State Farm Stadium.
The game organizers were, no doubt, thrilled with that matchup. Both teams boast enthusiastic fan bases. and Notre Dame is one of the college football's marquee brands.
Both teams went down to the wire in the discussion for a berth in the College Football Playoff, which right now includes just four teams. These teams were so deeply in the playoff mix right up to the selection announcement that it's easy to imagine this Fiesta Bowl as a precursor to what might happen if the playoff field is expanded.
You have the Fighting Irish, whose only loss of the season came to Cincinnati (13-0), which made the playoff as the No. 4 seed and will take on No. 1 Alabama (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame won its last seven games after that loss, outscoring those foes by a cumulative 269-102.
Notre Dame started the season coached by Brian Kelly but comes into the Fiesta Bowl led by Marcus Freeman because Kelly left for LSU a month ago. Notre Dame went into the Cincinnati game ranked ninth. It fell to No. 14 after that loss, then slowly worked its way back up the rankings, with a strong performance on the field and aided by losses by others.
Oklahoma State's only loss of the regular season came to Iowa State 2421. The Cowboys then ended up losing the Big 12 championship game 21-16 to Baylor, a team whom it defeated during the regular season 24-14.
It won the five games in between the losses by a combined 202-46.
How close was Oklahoma State to making that playoff four? The Cowboys went into their conference championship game at No. 5. The four teams ahead of them all won, so they likely wouldn't have jumped any of those even they had won.
As one of the so-called New Year's Six bowl games, the Fiesta Bowl has always been a high-profile event.
But if the College Football Playoff eventually expands, and things seem to be trending in that direction, the Fiesta Bowl could become an even more prestigious event.
The current four-team format was adopted in 2015 and Alabama has been the dominant team, with seven appearances in eight years. The Crimson Tide are going for a fourth championship and have five championship game appearances.
The Fiesta Bowl has been a CFP semifinal game twice, in 2016 and 2019, both games featuring Clemson and Ohio State. Currently it is scheduled to host its next semifinal on Dec. 21, 2022, with another on tap for 2025.
If expansion of the CFP grows to eight or 12 teams, the Fiesta Bowl likely would host one of the additional playoff games. But it is not a guarantee, because competition to host CFP games is intense, especially for the championship. Starting with this season's game in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, three CFP finals in a row will be contested at non-traditional locations (meaning usual bowl sites). The 202223 game is set for Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, and the 2023-24 game was awarded to NRG Stadium in Houston.
The biggest obstacle is that there hasn't been a meeting of the minds as to what is the best model, not just when it comes to the number of teams, but whether winners of the Power 5 conferences would be automatic qualifiers. How many wild card berths would that leave?
The issue was a big topic of conversation at the annual Intercollegiate Athletics Forum at the Aria Casino on the Vegas Strip earlier this month. It was an opportunity for Power 5 commissioners to make their stance public in front of hundreds of college administrators.
New Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff didn't take a hard and fast stand, saying he was open to potentially supporting either a 12- or eightteam model, with or without automatic qualifiers.
To expand the playoff before the current contract ends in 2025, unanimous consent is needed from the executives — the group of 10 FBS presidents and the Notre Dame president. That seems lie it would be a difficult ask.
While unanimity is required to expand the playoff before the contract ends, its not necessary to create a playoff format in a new contract that would begin in 2026.
The Fiesta Bowl has always been a well-attended event, a good venue, near perfect weather and good hospitality making it an excellent holiday destination. No doubt, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State will represent well. But the excitement generated by an actual playoff game is unmatched.