PHOENIX — College football's bowl season is officially underway, and the first of two bowl games in the Valley will take place on Tuesday, December 26.
This year's Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field features the Kansas Jayhawks and the UNLV Rebels.
PLANNING TO GO? HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
TICKET PRICES: Tickets on the resale market start at roughly $50.
PARKING: Parking for the game will be in the East Garage, just across Jefferson Street from Chase Field, or the Chase Field Garage at 4th Street and Buchanan.
WHEN: Kickoff from Chase Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
CAN'T MAKE IT? The game will be televised on ESPN and ESPN+.
MEET THE TEAMS:
KANSAS: The Jayhawks finished the regular season with an 8-4 record. While they finished in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 Conference, they were able to knock off a top-10 Oklahoma team for their homecoming. They are coached by Lance Leipold, who is in his 3rd year in Lawrence. He has completely turned the football program around, leading the Jayhawks to back-to-back bowl games after not making a bowl prior to that since 2008.
While Jason Bean has spent the most time as the KU quarterback this year, Jalon Daniels and Cole Ballard have also gotten meaningful yards for the Jayhawks this year. Devon Neal at running back has been the spark plug for the Jayhawks offense with 15 touchdowns on the year.
UNLV:
The 9-4 UNLV Rebels lost to Boise State in the Mountain West Conference championship. They are led by first-year head coach Barry Odom, who formerly coached at Memphis and Missouri before landing the job in Las Vegas. Odom led this year's Rebels to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2014.
The Rebels are led by a quarterback-receiver duo of Jayden Maiava and Ricky White. Maiava has thrown for nearly 2,800 yards in 2023, with White hauling in about half of those yards. The signal caller and his favorite target have connected for seven touchdowns this year, half of the 14 Maiava has thrown for during the season.
