2002 Fiesta Bowl

The 2002 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2002, was the 31st edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Colorado Buffaloes (ranked #3 in the BCS) and the Oregon Ducks (ranked #4 in the BCS). Oregon was ranked #2 in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, leading to some controversy that Oregon should have played for the 2002 BCS National Championship.

In the game, Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington threw for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns and led the Ducks to a 38–16 victory. Harrington was named offensive player of the game. Oregon cornerback Steve Smith had three interceptions, a Fiesta Bowl record, and was named defensive player of the game.

This was the first edition of the Fiesta Bowl to match two schools from the Western United States. Previous editions had either only one representative from the West, or none.

Colorado and Oregon became conference rivals when the Buffaloes joined Oregon's conference, the Pac-12 Conference (formerly the Pacific-10 Conference), in 2011.

2005 Fiesta Bowl

The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a non-BCS team prior to the 2006 season, making the trip all the more impressive. (In 2006, the eligibility rules became less strict: the BCS increased from four games to five, and entry required a top 12 finish instead of a top 6.) Utah was led by co-head coaches Urban Meyer and Kyle Whittingham, and quarterback Alex Smith directed his spread offense. The Utes were nothing short of unstoppable during the regular season, having won all their games by at least 14 points, and held an average lead of 40–14 after three quarters. They played key out-of-conference games against Texas A&M and North Carolina, and defeated five bowl teams by an average of 23.2 points. Utah was a very successful team that broke many school records, including most wins in a single season with 12, 16 straight wins (which would reach 18 in 2005), and 544 points scored in one season.

1983 Fiesta Bowl

The 1983 Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 1983, was the 12th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game featured the Arizona State Sun Devils, and the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma scored first on a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Stanley Wilson, giving the Sooners a 7–0 lead. In the second quarter, Arizona State got a field goal from kicker Luis Zendejas to cut the lead to 7–3. Their defense later forced a safety, to make it 7–5. Zendejas kicked another 22-yard field goal to give Arizona State its first lead of the game at 8–7.

Wilson scored on his second rushing touchdown of the game to give Oklahoma a 13–8 lead. Zendejas answered with a 54-yard field goal before halftime, to cut the lead to 13–11, Oklahoma.

In the third quarter, Darryl Clack scored on a 15-yard touchdown run, to give Arizona State an 18–13 lead. Running back Fred Sims rushed 19 yards for a touchdown, and the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt was successful, giving Oklahoma a 21–18 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils got a 1-yard touchdown run from Alvin Moore, giving ASU a 25–21 lead. Arizona State quarterback Todd Hons threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Mark Brown to make the score 32–21. The Sun Devils hung on to post that final score.

1997 Fiesta Bowl

The 1997 Fiesta Bowl may refer to: