SAN DIEGO (CNS) — Organizers announced on Sunday that Washington State will face Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27, which will be played at Snapdragon Stadium for the first time.
The Cougars (8-4), who have lost three consecutive games, will be playing in the Holiday Bowl for the fifth time and first since 2017. The Orange (9-3) have won three consecutive games. Syracuse will be playing in the Holiday Bowl for the first time.
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 and is in a group with the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Gator Bowl that 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.
Fox will televise the 5 p.m. game.
