PHNX Daily: Wildcats, Sun Devils Secure Bowl Games

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👋 GOOD MORNING – The weekend is growing closer. It’s going to feel strange, not being able to watch our beloved Wildcats and Sun Devils suit up. The season really flew by.

But we’ve got bowl games set in stone, and we’ll take a look at those matchups below.

But first… can you believe Pete Alonso signed with the Orioles? Honestly, I’m just thankful it wasn’t the Mets or the Dodgers, but I can’t say Baltimore was on my radar there.

Let’s get to the action!

— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Wildcats, Sun Devils Know their Bowls

Bowl game season used to mean something…

Thankfully for us in Arizona, our two programs eagerly accepted their bids, even if the College Football Playoff was out of the question (looking at you, Notre Dame, Iowa State, Kansas State).

A bowl game should be a celebration of a successful season, not something you brush off because you’re upset with an arbitrary selection process.

Okay, I’ll get off the soapbox now. The point is, we know where the Wildcats and sun Devils are headed come bowl season, and, at least for us, it’s exciting. Let’s take a look at the matchups.

Wildcats On Holiday

The Wildcats will head to balmy San Diego on January 2, taking on the 8-4 Southern Methodist University Mustangs of the ACC in the Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium.

The Wildcats have participated in the Holiday Bowl twice in program history. Both times, they faced Nebraska, splitting the series 1-1. In 1998, Arizona took home the trophy with a tough-fought 23-20 win, while their most recent appearance (in 2009) was an ugly 33-0 loss at the hands of the Huskers.

SMU, meanwhile, has made one appearance in the Holiday Bowl, losing a 46-45 heartbreaker to BYU all the way back in 1980.

The Wildcats have faced SMU only twice in its history — once in 1938 (a 29-7 loss) and once in 1985 (a 28-6 win). Safe to say, the upcoming game is probably going to look a bit different.

The Wildcats (and probably many fans down in Tucson) were likely just hoping for any bowl appearance this season. But Arizona smashed the six-win requirement with a 9-3 season, a Territorial Cup victory, and a No. 17 rank per the College Football Playoff committee.

What a way to end the season after going 4-8 in 2024. I’m sure Sun Devil fans will mumble something about Rose Bowls, but this is a very nice outcome for Brent Brennan and his squad in the 2025 season — you can’t take that for granted.

Devils vs Devils

The Sun Devils, meanwhile, will take a trip east to El Paso, Texas for a New Year’s Eve matchup. There, they’ll play in the Sun Bowl against the ACC Champions — the 8-5Duke Blue Devils, that is.

Okay, has the shock of that conference’s outcome has worn off yet?

The Sun Devils have played in the Sun Bowl before. One might suggest they’d feel at home in the sun. Sigh… I still can’t figure out a good way to make a joke about this.

Maybe I don’t need to, because ASU’s first appearance in the game was a 0-0 tie against Catholic University (wherever and whatever that is) way back in 1940. I’d be willing to bet this year’s edition will be a little more interesting.

ASU is 4-2-1 all-time in the Sun Bowl, with a 20-14 win over Florida State in 2019 being the most recent. They’ve actually faced Duke before in this matchup — winning 36-31 in 2014. That is Duke’s only appearance, and also the only time the Devils have faced the (blue) Devils in any game.

Kenny Dillingham’s squad has endured plenty of adversity, and that hasn’t stopped with the conclusion of the regular season, with QB Sam Leavitt expected to enter the transfer portal, among others.

A win in a bowl game might not fix everything Sun Devil fans are going through, but a new trophy certainly never hurts. It’s still quite impressive that ASU was able to win eight games and make a decent bowl game with all the injuries (and QB play) they had to endure.

Quick Hits

Some New Faces: The annual Rule 5 Draft took place yesterday, and the Diamondbacks selected three players in the Triple-A portion: right-handed relievers Antonio Menendez (from the Tampa Bay Rays) and Sean Harney (St. Louis Cardinals), as well as infielder Danny Serretti (Detroit Tigers).

The D-backs lost one player — Low-A right-hander Darlin Pinales — to the Oakland Athletics.

The Winter Meetings have come to an end, and all we’ve gotten thus far has been Michael Soroka (still not made official by the team) and a whole lot more Ketel Marte trade noise.

Benson Burn-ed: Yesterday, Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon announced that running back Trey Benson would not be making a return this season. Benson had his window opened three weeks ago, but it closed before the team took him off Injured Reserve. Another blow in a disappointing year for Benson — all part of a more-than-disappointing season by the Cardinals.

Nothing to See Here: The Suns lost 138-89 to the Thunder Nothing happened last night. Nothing at all. Nope. Move along.

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