Arizona will face SMU in the Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium Friday with both teams at nearly full strength.
The Wildcats (9-3) have won five consecutive games, including defeating then-22nd ranked Cincinnati, 30-24, Nov. 15, and Arizona State, 23-7, Nov. 28, in the regular-season finale. Only offensive lineman Michael Wooten has publicly opted-out of the game to enter the transfer portal.
Arizona, 21st in the latest poll from The Associated Press, is led by All-Big-12 first-team quarterback Noah Fifita, who has passed for 2,963 yards and 26 touchdowns with five interceptions.
The Mustangs (8-4) lost to California, 38-35, in their regular-season finale Nov. 29 after a three-game winning streak that began with a 26-20 overtime victory over then-10th ranked Miami Nov. 1. The Hurricanes haven’t lost since then, winning six in a row, including a 24-14 upset of defending national champion Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl Wednesday.
SMU is 11th in passing offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision, averaging 283.5 yards per game. The Wildcats’ pass defense is fourth in FBS, allowing an average of 155.9 yards per game.
Mustangs edge rusher DJ Warner is the only other known opt-out, also headed to the transfer portal.
SMU will be playing in the Holiday Bowl for the second time. The Mustangs lost to Brigham Young 46-45 in 1980 in a game they led 45-25 with three minutes, 37 seconds to play. Future Super Bowl winning quarterback Jim McMahon threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Clay Brown as time expired and Kurt Gunther kicked the extra point.
SMU has not won a bowl game since the 2012 Hawaii Bowl, losing their last five.
This will be the third Holiday Bowl for the Wildcats, who defeated Nebraska, 23-20, in 1998 and lost to the Cornhuskers, 33-0, in 2009.
The series is tied, 1-1, with the Mustangs winning, 29-7, in 1938, and Arizona winning, 28-6, in 1985.
The Holiday Bowl has the second choice among the available former and current Pac-12 teams and is in a group with the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Gator Bowl that have the first picks among Atlantic Coast Conference teams following the College Football Playoff.
This is the second time the Holiday Bowl will be played at Snapdragon Stadium. It was played at since-demolished San Diego Stadium from 1978-2019 and at Petco Park in 2022 and 2023. The 2020 game was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic and the 2021 game was called off just hours before kickoff due to COVID-19 issues within the UCLA team.
Oddsmakers have made the Wildcats between a 1- and 1 1/2 point favorite. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives SMU a 52.5% chance of winning, the Wildcats a 47.5% chance.
The 5 p.m. game will be televised by Fox.
The first 10,000 fans to enter the gates at Snapdragon Stadium will receive a free SeaWorld San Diego admission ticket that is valid through Jan. 31.
The game will be followed by the KGB Sky Show.
Outside of football, the 2026 Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl Game Day 5K will begin at 9:45 a.m. at Harbor and Ash streets in Downtown San Diego. Post-race, a celebration with parade bands, balloons and floats will be held, accompanied by music and refreshments at Wyndham Hotel Bayside, 1355 N. Harbor Drive.
Additionally, the 46th annual Holiday Bowl Parade will begin on Pacific Highway at 10 a.m., passing the County Administration building and concluding where North Harbor Drive meets Pacific Highway.
More than 100,000 spectators are expected. The parade will be streamed on CBS 8+ and holidaybowl.com.
To handle getting to and from the stadium Friday, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System will increase trolley service before and after the game. The Green Line will have service every 15 minutes or better with additional trips added between 2:40 and 4:20 p.m. from Downtown San Diego and then at 9:50 p.m. or until crowds diminish.
–City News Service
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