Arizona (9-3) has played SMU (8-4) twice dating back to 1938. The Wildcats lost their first matchup to the Mustangs, 29-7, in Dallas during the 1938 season. Arizona beat third-ranked SMU, 28-6, in Tucson in 1985. Arizona finished the season 8-3-1 and went on to tie the Georgia Bulldogs at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.

San Diego is already the coastal city of choice for many Tucsonans on vacation. Now they have another reason to visit.

The game will mark the first time the Holiday Bowl will be hosted in January. The game will be hosted at Snapdragon stadium.

This will be the first time the game has ever been played in January, with the Arizona Wildcats taking on the SMU Mustangs on Friday, Jan. 2.

The 2026 Holiday Bowl has its participating and a new sponsor. Sunday inside Snapdragon Stadium, Holiday Bowl officials announced Trust & Will as the new title sponsor. The inaugural Trust & Will Holiday Bowl featuring the University of Arizona and Southern Methodist University will be played at 5pm PT on Friday January 2nd,

The Wildcats will take on SMU in San Diego, seeking their 10th win of the season to finish a resurgent campaign.

The day included some confusion over its opponent, but it didn't damped thr Arizona coaches and players excited for their bowl game Jan. 2.

All signs point towards the Arizona Wildcats playing the SMU Mustangs in the Holiday Bowl, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Sports San Diego CEO Mark Neville joined "Good Morning San Diego" Monday to discuss reports that the Holiday Bowl was considering a change in venue. According to the reports, Neville was part of a ground that travelled to the Middle East back in June to ...