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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)<\/strong> — Throughout the holiday season, we hear a lot of talk about tradition. Traditional holiday meals, Christmas trees, gingerbread houses, ugly sweaters and gift giving. We all have our own traditions, and most people take these very seriously. After a tumultuous two years for the Sun Bowl football game — including a cancellation in 2020 and a near cancellation in 2021 — it too has proven to be a timeless El Paso tradition.<\/p>\n

This year’s Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl<\/a> will feature Pittsburgh (8-4) out of the ACC and No. 18 UCLA (9-3) representing the Pac-12. It’s the first time since 2016 a Top 25 team will play in the Sun Bowl, with the Bruins favored by eight points. The game will showcase El Paso on national television with the Sun Bowl airing on CBS at noon MT on Friday.<\/p>\n

The history of the Sun Bowl is a story of its own. The first matchup was played in 1935 at what is now known as R.R. Jones Stadium on the campus of El Paso High School. Along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country behind the Rose Bowl. This game has seen a little bit of everything, including a scoreless tie in 1940, a four-touchdown performance by Priest Holmes in Texas’ win over North Carolina in 1994, an 88-point shootout in 2005 when UCLA defeated Northwestern, and even a handful of freak snowstorms (I’m not sure what it is, but the Sun Bowl always seems to attract bad weather.)<\/p>\n