Future is bright for Arizona Bowl despite college football’s murkiness | Michael Lev

The game itself was kind of a dud. But does that even matter?

The Arizona Bowl has never been about those 60 minutes between the opening kickoff and the final whistle — or, at least, it’s never been only about that.

The Arizona Bowl is about having fun, creating experiences, bringing a community together, raising money for charity and generating positive publicity for our town. If you can’t get behind that, this column isn’t for you.

I’ve had the pleasure of covering all 10 Arizona Bowls. Tucson’s bowl game is still growing, even at a time when the bowl system is facing an existential crisis.

Despite lingering uncertainty about next year’s postseason structure, I’ve been told that the Arizona Bowl is in a good place. The sponsorship deal with Snoop Dogg and his Gin & Juice product lasts for one more year. Meanwhile, Raising Cane’s has emerged as an interested party and had a notable presence at this year’s game.

Raising Cane’s signage and products were everywhere Saturday. Tailgaters got free chicken fingers. The trophy presentation took place on a Cane’s-sponsored stage behind the north end zone. Coaches and players had the opportunity to sip Cane’s sweet tea during the postgame news conference.

Having a strong sponsor is critical to the long-term health of a bowl game. Having trusted conference and media partners is the other key piece. That’s where things get a little murky.

The contracts for the current bowl cycle are up after this year. But the postseason landscape will be determined by the College Football Playoff, which hasn’t made any definitive decisions about its future.

One conceivable scenario is that all existing bowl contracts are extended for another season. In that case, the Arizona Bowl conceivably could take a team that’s currently in the Mountain West but will be in the Pac-12 next year. This year’s champion, Fresno State, which defeated Miami (Ohio) 18-3 Saturday, is one such program.

That would add yet another layer of confusion to how bowl bids are determined. We already have ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 teams representing the old Pac-12. Everyone is ready to move on from that setup — except, apparently, the brain trust running the CFP, which can’t seem to do anything in a timely manner and already moved the deadline for figuring out its future format from Dec. 1, 2025, to Jan. 23, 2026.

Bonding Bulldogs

When the time comes, the folks who run the Arizona Bowl must decide whether they want to remain in the Group of Five/Six space or partner with one or more of the Power Four conferences. Although the latter would bring bigger brands to Tucson, it would come with a literal cost — a higher payout that would take money away from the Arizona Bowl’s charitable endeavors.

There’s something to be said for sticking with the G5/6 leagues, especially with the new-look Pac-12 entering that mix. Most of those schools don’t view bowl games as a consolation prize.

The Bulldogs were incredibly excited about winning the Arizona Bowl on Saturday. They chanted as Snoop Dogg emerged from the northwest tunnel in a shimmering blue-and-silver Impala convertible with gold-plated rims toting a pair of trophies — one for the team, the other for game MVP E.J. Warner. Warner’s teammates shouted in support — “E.J.! E.J.!” — as he received his hardware.

They enthusiastically rushed to the stage and held out their sweaty hands as Arizona Bowl co-founder Ali Farhang tossed Death Row Records gold chains to each and every player. They turned into fawning fans when Snoop Dogg offered to autograph their white Arizona Bowl champion trucker hats.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Fresno State head coach Matt Entz, receiver Josiah Freeman and cornerback Jakari Embry proudly displayed their necklaces during the postgame media session. I asked the players what their favorite part of the week was.

“Just the bonding,” said Embry, who had an interception and a fumble recovery and helped limit the RedHawks to 192 total yards and 12 first downs.

“This was my first time spending the holidays without my family. At first, I didn't know (what) to expect. But the bonds that we created over the time of us being here just felt amazing.

“(If) you're not with your family, you want to be with the football team. That's, like, the best thing ever.”

“Like he said, the bonding, just the memories you create,” added Freeman, who had a career-high 143 yards on seven receptions. “We weren't home for the holiday, but we're with some of our best friends, our close friends that we’ll know for the rest of our life.

“Just in the hotel room, cracking jokes ... all the activities we've done. We all never take it for granted because we know this opportunity is real special for us.”

Pondering possibilities

The experience the players described isn’t unique to the Arizona Bowl. But it’s part of what makes bowl games worthwhile — even as the push persists to eradicate them, or at least minimize them.

There will be fewer bowls if the CFP expands to 16 teams, and that wouldn’t be the worst thing for the sport. If the powers-that-be get really crazy and implement something like a 24-team tournament with play-in rounds — a horrible idea that would further diminish the best regular season going — that could lead to a radical reimagining of the postseason.

Let’s say, theoretically, that the G5/6 got boxed out of the Playoff. What if they had their own tournament and used the Arizona Bowl as one of three rotating semifinal/final sites? Kinda intriguing, right?

I don’t support the idea of excluding half of FBS from national-title contention before the season even starts. But the Arizona Bowl — which has raised millions of dollars for local charities — has to do whatever it takes to survive. Even the uneasy partnership with Barstool was necessary to give the bowl more national exposure.

You’d think being on ESPN would help in that regard, but Arizona Bowl officials want to control when their game takes place. They’d lose that control if they became part of ESPN’s postseason platter, and they’re not willing to make that tradeoff.

Could NBC be part of the Arizona Bowl’s future? Netflix?

Before you dismiss those ideas, consider this: When the Arizona Bowl was born 10 years ago, no one thought a mega-celebrity like Snoop Dogg would be its presenting sponsor and biggest promoter one day.

Farhang and Arizona Bowl executive director Kym Adair aren’t afraid to dream big. They believe anything is possible.

They’ve given us no reason to doubt them.

Photos: Fresno State grinds its way to an 18-3 win over Miami (OH) in the Arizona Bowl