1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Fiesta Bowl Trivia: January 8th, 2026, 11:25am

Episode Date: January 8, 2026

With the Fiesta Bowl on tonight, some past trivia on the long-standing bowl game. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sponsored by the Downtown Lincoln Foundation on 937 the ticket. of town. So myself, Jake Falkovan, in here with Austin Orman and Nick Sainert now joining us in the studio as well. Boys, welcome to the show. I also wanted to, I want to start off. How about the helmet matchup tonight? I know you already wore the, yeah, it looks

aesthetically very pleasing, I think. I think if we can get, I doubt that this would be the case, because I would imagine Miami, who's Miami's the lower seed. I knew that one, but Miami's the lower seed. So they're the road team. Yeah, basically. So they might wear orange.

So does that mean that we're going to get orange and powder blue? Ooh. That would be great. Because we need that instead of the plain road white. That's what I was thinking is initially Miami would wear white and Ole Miss would wear their powder blue. But I would love if it was a powder blue versus orange appearance. Fiesta Bull tonight. So that means Arizona's the spot.

Yeah. Okay. So indoor stadium. Well, they should, and it kind of brings to the point over. all together back to, you know, the NFL does that color rush game, you know, once the, that's beautiful. But those uniforms are so bad. Well, yeah, they do. They do, they don't always do a great job

of that, but I don't know why, you know, maybe we should bring that more, you know, more often to the, to the front. I know, I know. How did you guys feel about, you guys like alternate uniforms, right? Absolutely. We're under the age of 35, so. You talk about Nebraska. They do know how email works. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, but you guys,

I don't know, it seems like that's kind of the cutoff for like alternate uniforms, fans of not. fans of. I'm going to be in trouble next year. I'm 35. That's rough. Yeah. But I'm already. I'm like, I did not know this. Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm already. You're 10 years older than I am. Yeah. And I'm already, though, a traditionalist. I understand when you, while you get to an age, it was better back in my day. Like, I'm already there with college football. So, uh, I guess I'm a head of, I had a schedule there. Uh, guys, we do got to get obviously Nebraska has a history of the festival. And what's better, uh, than talking

about the past for Nebraska football. Do you guys have any idea how many times Nebraska's played in the festival? Is it like six? It is exactly like six. Dang. So much like six, it is six. Good good. Can I say. The most famous one is the most recent appearance, I presume. Second most recent

appearance. They played in 97. So they played the festival. 95 championship 96. Yep, yeah. Yep, 96. Yep, yep. And then in the year, 2000, 1999 season. They played Tennessee there and T. Martin defending jams and all that and beat them there as well. So you know two victories. Out of the six games, how many victories do you think they have?

Four. Three. It's still two. They lost their first four. Their other ones were in the 1989 season, a 41-17 loss against number five, Florida State. Nebraska was number six at the time. They also lost in the 1980. season, 1988

Bowl. Another loss of Florida State, 31 to 28. Florida State was number three at the time. Nebraska was number five. They lost in the 1985 season, 86 Fiesta Bowl, 27 to 23 to number five, Michigan, when Nebraska was number seven. And

they also lost in 1975 for the same season. The Fiesta Bowl that year was played in December 26th, 17 to 14 to number seven Arizona State when Nebraska was number six. Oh, that's a true road game. Yeah. Yeah, that's That is tough. But, yeah, so Tom Osborne, I had a little bit of trouble with the Viesta Bowl

until he didn't, I suppose. I don't win the big one. Yeah, there you go. But, of course, the famous ones, as we mentioned, Nebraska, 6224, January 2nd, 1996. That is still the record for most points scored in the Fiesta Bowl, by the way. Wouldn't that be nice? Yeah. And then, of course, like we mentioned, 3121 victory over Tennessee, has number three.

in the college football playoff era, that's the team a lot of people go back to in 1999. That team certainly might have won it all. If you remember,

that was Michael Vic and Virginia Tech against Chris Winky, you know, Peter Wark, those guys at Florida State, Florida State ended up pointing, but certainly would have been

an opportunity for Nebraska there. Most appearances in the Fiesta Bowl all time. Does you have a guess? Would Miami be up there? The Big Tenths school. I'm thinking, I'm getting,

that mixed up with Orange Bowl. Most in the Fiesta Bowl, it couldn't just be like Ohio State. It is just like Ohio State. You're pretty good. Whatever you doubt yourself. I'm full of doubt. That's slightly surprising to me

because you think about the Big Ten going to the Rose Bowl. Right. More often. Exactly. But unless they know the Rose Bowl was, you know, Big Ten 1 in the years Ohio State was Big Ten 2 or whatever. Yeah, I'm trying to even think the last time Ohio State played the festival was 2016.

That's the last time they won. won a bowl. They played it in 2019. So I think part of this is the college football playoff expanding and getting in those games. Like, can we, can we be honest that I hate that? I hate that they take on those, those classic bowl games. I do too. I would rather they, I'm fine if they keep the bowl game, but just transplant all the, the signage and whatnot to a home stadium.

Oh, really? But, but, but you can't play the Rose Bowl. Yeah, you can't play the Rose Bowl. Okay, fine. The Rose Bowl gets its carve out, but like, you can't put transport the, the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl to. Yeah. You can.

Coral Gables. Yeah, sure, sure. But that's the Orange Bowl. Okay, well, then Ole Misses the higher seed so you can't transplant to Oxford? Yeah, you can. Yeah, you can.

Yes, yes. But this is where Miami just needs to build its own college football stadium. Yeah, absolutely. Is Miami capable of that? They should be. I mean, they're going to get additional money here. Yeah.

Yeah. And that would take years, but. Is Mario Cristobal a top 10 coach in college football right now? yeah number 10 I mean seriously because like we we never talk about Mario Cristobal

in the in the same breath as we do Caitlin DeBore um Lane Kiffin obviously you know Kirby and like we Ryan Day

we never talk about Mario Cristobal in the same breath he's one of those guys when they do these list every year right can be anywhere from like 10 to 30 depending on where the last year was. He was not good. He was not good at FAU.

He was not good. Okay. So it was 1 in 11, 5 and 7, 3 and 9, 7 and 6 with a bowl win, 8 and 5 with the bowl loss, then 3 and 9. Position coach takes over for one game for Oregon. He's the interim in the Las Vegas Bowl. Oregon entered. He was 9 and 4, 12, and 2, 4 and 3 in the COVID year, and then 10 and 3. Takes over a scuffling Miami, and he's increased the number of wins every year.

5 and 7, 7 and 6, 10 and 3, 12 and 2. You know, top 10 might be slightly aggressive, but I think he's a much better coach now than he was at Florida International. I think he's still taking a lot of grief for the end of that Georgia Tech game where he decided to run it instead of kneel down. So you have to question the game management. But that's one gaffe on his resume. I get he doesn't have the national championship,

but who you give more credit to? Do you give more credit to a guy like Mario Cristobal who's built or Ryan Day, who has a national championship and sustained? but continues to lose the Michigan game. Or the big game, yeah. Or the big game. Or that. I don't know.

Cristobal took over for Tagger, right? It was Willie Tagger before. Oh, I had Oregon. It was really tagger. And then it was. Took over for Manny Diaz at Miami. Yeah. Still shocking that Manny Diaz had a Miami job at one point.

Manny Diaz was not as bad as people giving credit for it. He wasn't great. He was not terrible. No, he was not terrible. But it is. As you look at Christobal, he's so this year might, will exchange that. He's had one top 10 finish in his career. Again, so it would be hard to argue a top 10 coach. But definitely on a run here. And part of that is what they've done at the quarterback position, obviously, the last two years with the Heisman trophy winner in Kim Ward last year.

Now Carson Beck leading them to this to where they are now is the 10 seed, which is pretty incredible. And Carson Beck, let's be honest. He's he's fine. Serviceable, yeah. He's fine. They paid a lot of money for a game manager. It has 10 interceptions on the year. Yeah. But how many of those came in like two games? Yes. I don't know.

He's been better down the stress. I'm not high on Carson Ben. No, I agree. I'm just saying, let's be fair to the guy. He's a good college quarterback. That's why he's not going off to the NFL. Yeah. By the way, too, Mario Cristobal's conference record in the ACC so far, 18 and 14.

So that certainly couldn't prove. And that's what I'm a little bit worried about. You take away Miami out of this playoff. We're not even talking about Mario Cristobal. No. And I'm worried, I mean, if they go on a run and again, this goes back to my traditional lesson in the college football is a better thing. But are we ready to crown a champion that lost the Louisville and at SMU?

I mean, if it happens, is that, are we still, you know, is that still what we're looking for? I'm with you on this, man. I miss the BCS. There we go. I love, I love the playoff games. I love that they mean something. I'm excited for tonight.

I'm, which, which matchup are you guys more interested in? Indiana, Oregon and Harvey. Yeah, I have two. Yeah, well, it's Big Ten. I don't know if that's our bias or just, I don't think it is. Big Ten's also one in the last two. I think it's going to be a better game. Yeah, that too.

Intrigue. Obviously, you know, Signity's the story. What would be the most surprising match? Obviously, Oregon on that side. Is it Ole Miss? Gotta be right. I think so. But that's the, I'll say this.

That's the matchup I want to see most. Or in an old miss. Maybe Indiana, Ole Miss. the matchup I okay I'll admit to change that the matchup I want to see most is Indiana Ole Miss but

I just I'm not that interested in seeing Miami in there yeah it's not I think of all the teams that might have the I mean they're the 10 seats so there's something there

but yeah I think it's probably the least so Miami's not really an underdog like it's Miami and they've won titles before the other teams haven't so that but I think the other part for me is like in the national championship

game I want to see no I don't want to see fireworks I'm not trying to see a 50 to 50 ball game oh sign me up for that but I something around about Ole Miss Indiana or Ole Miss or they all what do they all have in common they can they can score the football they can score man but they also play really good defense especially Indiana and in Oregon I think Oregon sometimes gets discredited because we think Oregon and flash and high powered offenses I think Oregon's defense is actually the better side of the ball go ahead back I just think though for I I'm very intrigued if old make it to the championship game or even, you know, take that further and win a championship. I just, you know, with all the ties to the SEC and this is their last hope and all that and the

conference is losing its power. And then the Lane Kiff and stuff and you bring in LSU Ole Miss next year. I just, I'm incredibly interested in Old Miss moving on. Again, I mean, but Miami, that's a team I love to hate. So if they start to, I don't necessarily hate them now because this is the run, right? But if they can kind of get back into that, I would love to see that for college football. Right. I mean, Miami's kind of like the day Hurley in some ways, right? Like college football needs a villain. Yeah. Are they? Well, they can be. They can be. They can grow back into it. Because as soon as they win one, imagine the

conversations out of South Beach. But I think as Nebraska fans shouldn't, I mean, as much as we love to hate Miami for all the pain they inflicted, shouldn't Nebraska fans be rooting for Miami to prove that, hey, it's possible for a former power to build up again? I know that Miami has the access to town. I know they're in a lesser conference. I get it. No, it's not a one-to-one. But just big picture. You know, like Indiana and even Ole Miss, no historical success. Ole Miss more than Indiana, but Indiana was the losingest program in college football history now passed by in-state quasi-rival Northwestern since Signetti's been on a bit of a tear.

But I'm not mad if Miami beats Ole Miss. I'm not mad if Ole Miss beats Miami. I think there's a fun storyline either way. I would probably rather see Ole Miss win just because I think it's the continuation of the Cinderella run, but I'm not mad at Miami. Maybe Husker fans from the 80s and 90s would be, but I think there's a, you know, general template for, hey, Nebraska, guess what, you're not, you don't have to be stuck in this mediocrity if you make enough right decisions.

You can get back. You're not like Miami's the one seat dominating everyone. Like you said, Bach, they lost to Louisville and SMU. Good teams, not elite teams, but that's also just where we're out in the playoff eras. It's just, it's starting to feel more like the NFL, where you're going to lose some games. you're going to have an off week or two, be good enough to get into the playoff, whatever the qualifications are,

and then you've got a chance. That's all you can ask for. As long as you can make the ACC, okay, I guess you don't have to make the ACC chain. We'll take quick break. We've got one more segment on one-on-one coming next year on 93-7 the ticket.