Arkansas State's football team soon will visit Old Tucson Studios.
An outdoor western sound stage transformed into a present-day theme park, Old Tucson was home to a number of classic 1950s cowboy films and TV shows, such as Bonanza and iconic western actor John Wayne's Rio Bravo.
There is a general store, a bath house and a saloon. Gun fire and explosives are manufactured to produce scenes set in this artificial and sandy desert town -- the usuals for a famous "Hollywood in the Desert" set built in 1939 by Columbia Pictures as a replica of 1860s Tucson.
Arkansas State University's field trip to Old Tuscon on Dec. 27 is part of a week-long, mini-vacationlike package to the Arizona Bowl, the Red Wolves' postseason destination in 2018.
"I can guarantee to all the fans and the team and anybody at Arkansas State, this is going to be a bowl game unlike any other that you've been to," Arizona Bowl Chairman Ali Farhang said in a phone interview Tuesday. "I get a lot of pats on the back and congratulations for starting something new and being innovative.
"But the truth is, we're really making bowl games what they used to be. It's about the community. It's more of a traditional event. Everything is not mechanical. The teams are usually -- not usually -- they're always happy to be here."
The Arizona Bowl was quick to lock in Arkansas State as the Sun Belt Conference's representative. ASU announced its bid three days after the regular season ended Nov. 24 and before the Sun Belt Championship Game on Dec. 1.
ASU, which never has played in the Arizona Bowl, will meet the University of Nevada at 12:15 p.m. Central at Arizona Stadium on Dec. 29.
"Arkansas State, let's just say, was very high on our list," Farhang said.
The Red Wolves' trip to Arizona will mark their fifth different bowl appearance in five seasons. The Arizona Bowl wanted Arkansas State for a number of reasons, including how Arkansas State and Nevada finished their regular seasons on a tear.
ASU won its final four games to secure an 8-4 record, which made the Red Wolves bowl-eligible for the eighth consecutive year. Nevada (7-5) went 4-1 to end its regular season.
"That resonates, for sure," Farhang said. "A strong football tradition that's been built there is a huge factor. How are the teams playing at the end of the year? Are they ascending or are they declining? We've got two established football programs led by two outstanding coaches with teams that are ascending."
No, their nicknames being the Red Wolves and Wolf Pack is not the sole reason the Arizona Bowl chose these two programs, despite marketing the event as the "War of the Wolves" Bowl, Farhang said.
However, it is one way to promote a late-December kickoff between similar, middle-of-the-pack teams from their respective conferences.
"This year, we have the 'War of the Wolves,' " Farhang said. "Who is going to be the leader of the pack? It's crazy. Nevada averages 32.3 points per game. Arkansas State averages 31.8. They both have running games that average about 5 yards a carry. They both have outstanding receivers and younger defenses. These teams are a mirror image of each other."
Arkansas State will depart for the Arizona Bowl on Christmas Day. The Red Wolves will practice and visit Diamond Children's Medical Center and Old Tucson on Dec. 27.
A block party in downtown Tucson will be held from 3-8 p.m. on Dec. 28.
Arizona Bowl
ARKANSAS STATE VS. NEVADA
WHEN 12:15 p.m. Central, Dec. 29
WHERE Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz.
RECORDS Arkansas State 8-4; Nevada 7-5
TV CBS Sports Network
Sports on 12/19/2018