Rate Bowl is now Cactus Bowl, and it's moving out of Chase Field

What’s old is new.

The Rate Bowl is changing names and switching identities, heading back to a familiar place. The Fiesta Sports Foundation unveiled the new name and location on Wednesday, June 3. It's now the Cactus Bowl and it will now be played at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe instead of Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

The two changes are actually a return to form. The game was called the Cactus Bowl from 2014-17, and this is now the second stint for the game being held in Tempe. From 2006-15, the game was held at Mountain America Stadium, where four of the highest-attended games in the bowl’s history were played. 

“Arizona State University welcomes the Cactus Bowl back to Tempe, as the growth of our Tempe campus, Mountain America Stadium’s presence and the Novus Corridor all make this a natural combination to play the Cactus Bowl on Frank Kush Field,” ASU athletic director Graham Rossini said.

“Our Sun Devils played some fun games in the Cactus Bowl when it was downtown, and we look forward to staging a fun matchup with a Big 12 and Big Ten opponent, enjoying all that Arizona has to offer in December.”

Arizona State, Arizona and the legacy Pac-12 schools are not eligible for Cactus Bowl participation until 2027-28, per rules put in place when the Pac-12 schools left for the Big 12 and Big Ten. Those schools remain in the Pac-12 bowl pool and are therefore not eligible for the Big 12 pool of bowl games this season, such as the Cactus Bowl, Texas Bowl and Holiday Bowl.

The Cactus Bowl — college football’s only postseason game between the Big Ten and Big 12 — will be played this season on Saturday, Dec. 26 at 5:30 p.m. MST as part of ABC Saturday Night Football in prime time, in addition to ESPN’s digital platforms.

Four days later, Dec. 30, this season's Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game, will be played at State Farm Stadium.

There is a new logo for the Cactus Bowl, highlighted by a cactus shaped like goalposts, with a football in motion flying through the middle of the opening. Accompanying that is the Fiesta Sports Foundation logo, along with one of Arizona’s heralded sunset landscapes, complete with cacti and the multiple hues that paint the sky.

“Today marks a new chapter for the Cactus Bowl, which has always represented the best of what Arizona has to offer in a holiday period for families here and those traveling from all over the country to support their universities,” Fiesta Sports Foundation executive director and CEO Erik Moses said.

“Reviving the Cactus Bowl name with a logo that reflects what’s unique to our Arizona roots and returning to Tempe gives us a true identity and shows our commitment to making this one of the premier destination bowl games in the country. Having a prime-time audience on network television from coast to coast will amplify the experience we deliver to all our stakeholders.”

Founded in 1989 as the Copper Bowl in Tucson, the Cactus Bowl has a long history in the state. The most-attended game in Cactus Bowl history came in 2011, when Oklahoma defeated Iowa in Tempe before 54,247 fans.

“I can't think of a better holiday gift to our city than to return the Cactus Bowl game to Tempe,” Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said in a news release. “Bringing the Cactus Bowl to our city will boost tourism and bring positive exposure to Tempe, attracting new visitors and corporations alike.

"Tempe has enjoyed a strong, long-standing relationship with Fiesta Sports Foundation since the early 1970s and we’re excited about partnering with both the Foundation and ASU for this highly visible event.”

Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rate Bowl changes names, switches venues