| Game Name: | Fiesta Bowl |
| Subheader: | 50th Fiesta Bowl |
| Title Sponsor: | PlayStation |
| Date Game Played: | January 2 |
| Year Game Played: | 2021 |
| Football Season: | 2020 |
| Stadium: | State Farm Stadium |
| City: | Glendale, Arizona |
| Visitor School: | University of Oregon |
| Visitor Name Short: | Oregon |
| Visitor Nickname: | Ducks |
| Visitor Record: | 4–2 |
| Visitor Conference: | Pac-12 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 25 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | RV |
| Visitor Rank Cfp: | 25 |
| Visitor Coach: | Mario Cristobal |
| Visitor 1Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Home School: | Iowa State University |
| Home Name Short: | Iowa State |
| Home Nickname: | Cyclones |
| Home Record: | 8–3 |
| Home Conference: | Big 12 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 12 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 12 |
| Home Rank Cfp: | 10 |
| Home Coach: | Matt Campbell |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 21 |
| Home 3Q: | 3 |
| Home 4Q: | 3 |
| Mvp: | Offense: Brock Purdy (QB, Iowa State) Defense: O'Rien Vance (LB, Iowa State)[1] |
| Odds: | Iowa State by 4.5[2] |
| Referee: | David Smith (SEC)[3] |
| Attendance: | 0 (family members only) |
| Us Network: | ESPN and ESPN Radio |
| Us Announcers: | ESPN: Dave Pasch (play-by-play) Mike Golic (analyst) Quint Kessenich (sideline) ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher and Ben Hartsock |
| Different Previous: | 2019 (Dec.) |
| Different Next: | 2022 (Jan.) |
The 2021 Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2021, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST (2:00 p.m. local MST).[4] It was the 50th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, and was one of the 2020–21 bowl games concluding the 2020 FBS football season. Sponsored by video game brand PlayStation, the game was officially known as the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. The bowl was celebrating its 50th anniversary, having been first played in 1971.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona, it was announced in early December that the game would be played behind closed doors, with only players' family members admitted.[5]
As one of the New Year's Six bowl games, the participants of the game were determined by the College Football Playoff selection committee. The committee matched Oregon of the Pac-12 Conference and Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference,[6] in the first meeting between the two teams.[7]
See main article: 2020 Oregon Ducks football team. Oregon won the Pac-12 title after beating USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game on December 18, and received the conference's automatic bid to a New Year's Six bowl game. The team accepted a berth to the Fiesta Bowl on December 20, which was the program's third-ever Fiesta Bowl, after the 2002 and 2013 editions.
See main article: 2020 Iowa State Cyclones football team. Iowa State lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game on December 19. They were eligible for an at-large selection to a New Year's Six bowl game, being ranked 10th in the College Football Playoff rankings on December 20, and received and accepted an invitation to the Fiesta Bowl that day. This was both Iowa State's first-ever Fiesta Bowl and New Year's Six bowl appearance.