In the aftermath of Mid-American Conference and Mountain West Conference both postponing their fall football seasons over health concerns related to COVID-19, NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl founder and chairman Ali Farhang said today his organization will “monitor and evaluate this ever-fluid situation” to determine if a game will be held in December or the spring.
He added, “The Arizona Bowl will be engaged in discussions over the next few days to discuss various possible alternatives. Whether college football is played in some form this fall or postponed into a spring format, the Arizona Bowl is both able and willing to be part of a creative solution.”
The Arizona Bowl, which started in 2015, was in the first year of an arrangement with the MAC. It has been affiliated with the Mountain West since its inception. The game is annually played at Arizona Stadium on Arizona’s campus. In the past, it has pit teams from the Mountain West against the Sun Belt.
Farhang mentioned last month in an article published in AllSportsTucson.com that the Arizona Bowl is prepared to not stage an event this football season.
“As a bowl, we have to prepare for a lot of different options,” he said. “If there is a season in the fall, and there is a bowl game, we might have to do it without a crowd or with a limited crowd. Then there are the tailgating and team events. How are we going to do what we’ve always done? How are we going to do it in a less grandiose capacity?
“We have contingency plans for everything from if things are going to be exactly how they’ve always been by Dec. 31 to we get pushed to the spring or no bowl game. We’re in a great position. If there is no bowl game this year, we’re prepared to endure that and we’ll be back next year — 100 percent.”
The Arizona Bowl annually donates 100 percent of its net proceeds to charitable organizations. The bowl game has donated nearly $4 million, including tickets to active military, veterans and teachers, along with first responders, from the greater Tucson area.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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