Las Vegas Bowl Moves to New Stadium
The six-year deal will pit a Pac-12 team against either the SEC or Big Ten
Posted On: June 5, 2019 By :The Las Vegas Bowl will be played in the new Las Vegas Stadium starting in 2020 and will feature a team from the Pac-12 Conference against a team from either the SEC or the Big Ten. The six-year deal also moves to the game to a post-Christmas date for the first time and grants the bowl the No. 2 selection (after the College Football Playoff selection) from the Pac-12.
“This is a ground-breaking development for our game and for our city,” said John Saccenti, Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl executive director. “In less than three decades the Las Vegas Bowl has grown into a must-see event each December and this collaboration takes us to the next level in not only the bowl world, but also the sports landscape as we will welcome three of the top conference brands in the nation to our event, which will be played in a stadium that is second-to-none.”
The game was previously played at Sam Boyd Stadium but will be moved to the new stadium under construction on the Las Vegas Strip. Las Vegas Stadium will eventually be home to the NFL’s Raiders.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with the Las Vegas Bowl and to join with the SEC, Big Ten, Las Vegas Stadium, ESPN and LVCVA to take the Las Vegas Bowl to the next level of success in the years to come,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “The experience of hosting some of our premier Pac-12 events in Las Vegas has been tremendous for our student-athletes, universities and fans, and to have the opportunity to play in such an incredible stadium against top quality competition on a national stage through ESPN will be welcomed by our student-athletes and fans.”
For the SEC, the game will now share a spot with the Belk Bowl in the “pool of six” that follows the CFP and Citrus selections. The deal calls for the SEC to participate in 2020, 2022 and 2024.
“We are pleased to add the Las Vegas Bowl to the SEC bowl lineup,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “The Las Vegas Bowl provides the SEC with a new and exciting destination for our student-athletes and traveling fans at a location outside our traditional geographic footprint and in a much-anticipated matchup with a Pac-12 Conference opponent.”
The bowl will also share a Big Ten spot with the Music City Bowl after the CFP, Citrus and Outback selections. The Big Ten will participate in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
“We are excited to announce a new partnership with the Las Vegas Bowl through 2025 and to add to our longstanding bowl ties with the Pac-12 in a new location,” Big Ten Commissioner James Delaney said. “The city of Las Vegas is a world-class destination that will be attractive to the participants and fans from our schools, and the support provided by the Raiders organization and ESPN will create a tremendous opportunity to elevate this game into a must-see event during the bowl season.”
The bowl is one of 15 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.
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