The 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 26, 2023, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. The 34th annual Guaranteed Rate Bowl featured Kansas of the Big 12 Conference and UNLV of the Mountain West Conference. The game began at approximately 7:10p.m. MST and was aired on ESPN. The Guaranteed Rate Bowl was one of the 2023âÂÂ24 bowl games concluding the 2023 FBS football season. The game's title sponsor was residential mortgage company Guaranteed Rate.
Kansas won the game 49âÂÂ36. Kansas quarterback Jason Bean, who won offensive MVP, set the Guaranteed Rate Bowl record for passing touchdowns with 6, split between receivers Luke Grimm and Lawrence Arnold who both had 3, tying former Jayhawk Dezmon Briscoe's record for receiving touchdowns.
The game featured the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 Conference and the UNLV Rebels of the Mountain West Conference.
The game was the third meeting between Kansas and UNLV with the all-time series tied at 1âÂÂ1 prior to the game. The teams' had previously met in 2003 with the Jayhawks winning 46âÂÂ24.
The Jayhawks entered the game with an 8âÂÂ4 record (5âÂÂ4 in Big 12), tied for seventh place in their conference.
This was Kansas' second Guaranteed Rate Bowl; they previously won the 2008 Insight Bowl when the bowl was known by that name. It was the Jayhawks' second consecutive season playing in a bowl game, something only accomplished once before in program history (2007âÂÂ2008).
The Rebels entered the game with a 9âÂÂ4 record (6âÂÂ2 in Mountain West). Winning the three-way tiebreaker for first place in their conference, the Rebels hosted the 2023 Mountain West Championship Game, losing to Boise State, 44âÂÂ20.
This was UNLV's first Guaranteed Rate Bowl. It was also the Rebel's first bowl appearance since the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl, following the 2013 season.