New Year touches down in Tempe

  • 2014-12-17
Soon, Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium will play host to the newly dubbed Cactus Bowl, formerly known as the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

This year, two top teams, the University of Washington (UW) Huskies and Oklahoma State Cowboys, will be battling it out for playoff advancement. It will be the first time in 20 years that the two teams have met.

Traditionally, the bowl hosts the sixth place team out of the Pac-12. Although UW ended their regular season eighth in the Pac-12, circumstances have given them a bid. Since two of the Pac-12 teams have been ranked in the top 10 College Football Playoff rankings, they will be playing in other bowls, pushing UW into sixth place.

The Cowboys ended their season in the seventh spot in their Big-12 Conference. The Huskies impressive 8-5 record will match up with the Cowboys 6-6 record. Sophomore defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and offensive wide-receiver Tyreek Hill are the key players to keep an eye on for the Cowboys. Running back Shaq Thompson (#7), linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha (#8), and defensive lineman Danny Shelton (#55) will likely be the driving force for the Huskies. Sports photographers are sure to focus on this trio for action shots for later poster printing.

Kick off will be 7:15 pm on January 2 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.