Looking Back at Arizona's History in the Holiday Bowl

Ready or not, the Wildcats are bound for San Diego.

Arizona will travel to "America's Finest City" to take on the SMU Mustangs in the Holiday Bowl on Jan. 2, 2026, to round out an impressive turnaround season for the Wildcats. The game is set to air on FOX at 6 p.m. MT.

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan celebrates during a game against Arizona State at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Nov. 28, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the game kicking off after the New Year, Arizona will have had a total of 35 days off between beating Arizona State for the Territorial Cup on Nov. 28 and the start of the Holiday Bowl.

Brent Brennan has been busy locking down a recruiting class for next season, but the Arizona coach is now able to redirect his focus to the field against an ACC opponent that narrowly missed out on the conference title game and a shot at the College Football Playoff.

Arizona has played in the Holiday Bowl in the past, but it has certainly been a minute since the Wildcats earned the right to play in the game. Let's take a look at Arizona's history in the bowl game.

Arizona's Holiday Bowl History

Nov 22, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Treydan Stukes (2) dances after he intercepts the ball in the end zone during the fourth quarter of the game against the Baylor Bears at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Wildcats will be making their third appearance in the Holiday Bowl to wrap up the season. Arizona split its previous two appearances in the bowl game, both of which came against Nebraska.

Arizona also played a key role in the birth of the Holiday Bowl in the first place. Before the founding of the bowl game, the Fiesta Bowl had a tie-in as an automatic bowl bid for the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). However, when both Arizona and Arizona State left the WAC to join what became the Pac-10 in 1978, the Fiesta Bowl severed that tie-in.

Nov 22, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan celebrates with quarterback Noah Fifita (1) against the Baylor Bears at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Thus, the Holiday Bowl was born and inherited the WAC tie-in for a bowl bid and featured a matchup against an at-large team. As conferences have realigned over the years, the tie-ins have shifted to the Big Ten and later to the Pac-12. The ACC is the latest tie-in, playing in the bowl since 2021.

In 1998, No. 5 Arizona made its first appearance in the Holiday Bowl, facing No. 14 Nebraska. The game was a nail-biter, as the Wildcats and Cornhuskers dueled in San Diego. The Wildcats jumped to a 9-0 lead to start the game, but Nebraska responded with 13 consecutive points to take the lead.

Nov 8, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) celebrates a touchdown with running back Quincy Craig (24) against the Kansas Jayhawks at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In the fourth quarter, after both sides traded touchdowns, Arizona running back Kelvin Eafon punched in a 1-yard touchdown, and the Wildcats held on for the final six minutes to win the Holiday Bowl. Arizona quarterback Keith Smith took home offensive MVP honors after throwing for 143 yards and one touchdown and adding another 25 yards on the ground.

Following that win, Arizona didn't make a bowl game again until 2008, when the Wildcats beat BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. In the season that followed, the Wildcats returned to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl, once again facing Nebraska.

Nov. 28, 2009; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles (8) throws during the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona defeated Arizona State 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The game didn't turn out well for the Wildcats. The Cornhuskers blitzed the Wildcats en route to a 33-0 win for Nebraska coach Bo Pelini against Arizona coach Mike Stoops. Arizona remains the only team ever to be shut out in Holiday Bowl history. The Cornhuskers outgained the Wildcats 396-109 in the game.

Now, Arizona doesn't have to worry about another generation of Cornhuskers traveling to San Diego. Instead, the Wildcats will face an SMU team that had its ACC hopes dashed in an upset loss to Cal in the final week of the regular season.

Nov 15, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) celebrates on the sidelines after intercepting a pass against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Wildcats and Mustangs have played just twice before, splitting the outcomes. Most recently, Arizona beat SMU, 28-6, in Tucson, all the way back in 1985.

Arizona is 10-11-1 in bowl games in program history. This season's Holiday Bowl will be Arizona's second bowl game in three years, after beating Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl in 2023. The Wildcats have not won consecutive bowl games in 2012-13.

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