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No. 5 Utah Accepts Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Invitation
Utes to play Pittsburgh in the 34th Annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Dec. 5, 2004 Colorado Springs, Colo. - The University of Utah accepted an invitation to play the University of Pittsburgh in the 34th Annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., Saturday, Jan. 1 at 6:30 p.m. MT. The Utes are the first non-automatic qualifying BCS team to participate in a BCS bowl game after completing the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record and a finishing sixth in the final BCS standings. Utah and Pittsburgh will meet on the Gridiron for the first time. The Utes (11-0) finished the regular season undefeated and untied for the first time since 1930. The Panthers enter the game as the Big East champions with a 4-2 conference, 8-3 overall, and wins in six of their last seven games. Utah enters the game ranked No. 6 in the BCS, No. 5 in the Associated Press and No. 6 in USA Today/ESPN. Pittsburgh enters the contest ranked No. 21 in the BCS, No. 19 in the Associated Press and No. 20 in USA Today/ESPN. Utah became just the second team in Mountain West history to win the conference title with a perfect 7-0 record (BYU in 2001). The Utes will be making their first appearance in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Based on current conference affiliations, there have been two teams from the Mountain West Conference that have played in the Fiesta Bowl. BYU lost to Oklahoma State, 16-6, in the 1974 game, while Wyoming fell to Oklahoma in the 1976 contest. Pittsburgh will be making its fourth appearance in the Fiesta Bowl and first since 1984. The Panthers tied for the Big East Conference title with an 8-3 overall record and 4-2 league mark. Pittsburgh has a 1-2 record in previous Fiesta Bowl appearances, defeating Arizona (16-10) in 1979, while falling to Arizona State (28-7) in 1973 and to Ohio State (28-23) in the final seconds of the 1984 game. Tostitos is in its tenth year as the title sponsor of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Football Classic. ABC Sports will televise the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl for the seventh consecutive year. Brent Musburger and Gary Danielson will call the action with Jack Arute serving as the sideline reporter. ESPN Radio will broadcast the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl nationally with the local broadcast on KTAR 620 AM. Dave Barnett, Bill Curry, David Norrie and Alex Flanagan will do the broadcast. Tickets for select 2004-2005 Festival of Events are now available online at www.tostitosfiestabowl.com or through the Fiesta Bowl Ticket Office. To purchase tickets please call (480) 350-0911 or toll free at (800) 635-5748.
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