No. 7 Central Florida (12-0, AAC champion) vs No. 11 LSU (9-3, SEC), Jan. 1, 1 p.m. EST (ESPN)
LOCATION: Glendale, Arizona.
TOP PLAYERS
UCF: QB Darriel Mack Jr. The Knights suffered a big blow when quarterback McKenzie Milton suffered a leg injury in the regular-season finale against South Florida. Mack slid into the starting spot nicely, accounting for six TDs in UCF’s win over Memphis in the AAC title game.
LSU: QB Joe Burrow. The junior threw for 2,500 yards and 12 touchdowns with four interceptions during the regular season.
NOTABLE
UCF: The Knights finished a second straight undefeated regular season, but were left out of the College Football Playoff again. UCF proclaimed itself national champion last year after finishing as the only undefeated FBS team.
LSU: The Tigers knocked off No. 2 Georgia during the regular season, but were blown out by top-ranked Alabama to fall out of the playoff race.
LAST TIME
First meeting.
BOWL HISTORY
UCF: Second Fiesta Bowl appearance, ninth bowl overall.
LSU: First Fiesta Bowl, 50th bowl overall.
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