Arizona State University’s football team made their last appearance in the Peach Bowl on December 30, 1970 when they faced off against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The game, held in Atlanta, marked a historic moment for ASU under head coach Frank Kush. The Sun Devils had a dominant performance, defeating North Carolina 48-26, securing their first-ever bowl victory. This win helped solidify ASU’s growing reputation as a rising program, but it also underscored the challenges faced by smaller teams trying to gain national recognition. Despite the victory, ASU still found itself on the outskirts of the traditional bowl system, which often favored larger, more established programs from the East and Midwest. This experience became a turning point for Kush, driving him to find ways to ensure his team—and others like it—could compete on a bigger stage.
Following the Peach Bowl victory, Frank Kush became increasingly frustrated with the traditional bowl system, which he saw as biased toward teams from the major conferences. Despite the Sun Devils’ success, they often found themselves overlooked when it came to the most prestigious postseason opportunities. This exclusion inspired Kush to create a new postseason opportunity that would give teams outside the traditional powerhouses a chance to shine. His vision led to the establishment of the Fiesta Bowl in 1971, a game designed to provide a platform for teams from the western United States and smaller programs that were often passed over by the traditional bowl system. The creation of the Fiesta Bowl was a significant step in giving rising programs like ASU an opportunity to compete on national television and gain the recognition they deserved.
The first Fiesta Bowl took place in December 1971, marking a milestone for ASU and college football in general. It provided a chance for teams like ASU to compete in a nationally televised bowl game, often in front of a home crowd, which brought much-needed exposure to the program. For Frank Kush, the Fiesta Bowl wasn’t just a new postseason event—it was a testament to his determination to elevate ASU’s football program and reshape the college football postseason landscape. Over time, the Fiesta Bowl grew in prominence, eventually becoming one of the most important bowl games in college football. Kush’s creation of the Fiesta Bowl helped open doors for other teams and changed the way the postseason was structured, giving programs from all over the country the chance to compete with the traditional powerhouses.
Now, 54 years after their Peach Bowl victory which put Arizona State on the map in the , ASU is set to make a triumphant return to the same event in 2024, this time as part of the College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils have earned a spot among the nation’s elite, marking the culmination of their rise in college football. This return to the Peach Bowl represents a full-circle moment for a program that once fought for national recognition. Similar to back then, Arizona State wasn’t taken seriously as a big time competitor, but over time ASU broke that stereotype under legendary head coach Frank Kush. This past recent season under current coach Kenny Dillingham, ASU was ranked last in the preseason media polls and were anticipated to be the worst team in the Big 12 Conference, once again experiencing the same stereotype that Kush and his team had back then. Now after finishing the regular season with a 10-2 record and becoming undefeated at home. Just one week later, ASU defeated Iowa State 45-19 to win their first ever Big 12 Championship and clinch a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, setting up their official return to the Bowl game that put them on the map.
Now as they prepare they prepare to compete once again in Atlanta, the Sun Devils not only aim for victory but also honor the legacy of Frank Kush’s vision, which reshaped the college football postseason and set the stage for ASU’s future success. The return to the Peach Bowl serves as a powerful reminder of how far the program has come. Going from the challenges of the 1970s to the national stage in 2024.
