SAN DIEGO — Washington State will face Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27, which will be played at Snapdragon Stadium for the first time, organizers announced today.
The Cougars (8-4), who have lost three consecutive games, will play in the Holiday Bowl for the fifth time and first time since 2017.
The Orange (9-3) have won three consecutive games. For the first time, Syracuse will play in the Holiday Bowl.
This will be the second meeting between the teams. Syracuse defeated Washington State, 52-25, in 1979.
The Holiday Bowl has the second choice among the available former and current Pac-12 teams. It is in a group with the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Gator Bowl, which have the first picks among Atlantic Coast Conference teams following the College Football Playoff.
The Holiday Bowl was played at the 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 football team.
The bowl game, which first kicked off in 1978, is known for its high-scoring contests and down-to-the-wire finishes, according to Sports San Diego, the group that produces the annual Holiday Bowl game. Previous sponsors included SeaWorld, Thrifty Car Rental, Pacific Life Insurance Company, National University and most recently, San Diego County Credit Union.
In 2022, the Oregon Ducks launched a final-minute, come-from-behind 28-27 victory over the North Carolina Tarheels in front of a near-sellout crowd at Petco Park and 3.97 million FOX television viewers.
In addition to the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl, Sports San Diego also owns and operates the Rady Children’s Invitational, a four-team men’s college basketball tournament.
This year’s game will be televised at 5 p.m. by FOX.
