Las Vegas glad to get a crack at Utah, not TCU
One group that’s giddy TCU defeated Utah on Saturday are folks at the Las Vegas Bowl. If the Horned Frogs would have lost to Utah, they’d likely be headed there and it would be a money disaster.
The Las Vegas Bowl gets the first choice of MWC schools that are not BCS-bound in post season play and that pick should be the Utes. They’re banking on Ute Nation following their team to Vegas and packing seats at Sam Boyd Stadium.
If the Utes win out, stay ranked, ESPN would be pleased.
The Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego will chose the home team Aztecs to face Navy. If the Cougars can win two of their next three games, they’ll be eligible for a bowl but will likely be headed to Albuquerque or the bowl in Dallas.
Folks in Las Vegas were pulling for Utah to be available. It makes sense. If Utah had won last Saturday, the bowl would be in a real pickle having to take TCU and lose big money. It would be a stretch for the committee to take BYU — if bowl eligible at 6-6 in weeks to come.
The word I get is folks in Las Vegas know BYU would financially make their day, but half of the committee is sore BYU is dumping the MWC to go independent. Still, it would be a head-scratcher for sure to take the Cougars.
Utah can solve all these issues for the BYU-less Las Vegas and they hope the Ute fan base recovers from last Saturday in weeks to come and gobble up tickets and rooms. The other issue is the Pac-10 may not be able to provide an opponent and the Vegas folks will look at the Big 12.
Utah can save the Las Vegas Bowl’s bank account this December; it is also an easy trip for Ute fans. With the economy in crisis mode in Vegas, there are a ton of great hotel bargains.
TCU might have the team, the ranking, the headlines and momentum right now, but if the Frogs would have lost to the Utes, the Las Vegas Bowl would take a financial wash in ticket sales. The Frogs, ranked in the Top Five, only brought a smattering of fans to the TCU-UNLV game earlier this month. Total attendance for that game was just over 16,000. Rebel fans didn’t go and TCU faithful didn’t show up either.
Here’s an interesting read from the Las Vegas Review Journal on how UNLV should continue to schedule the Cougars, even after the 55-7 spanking on Saturday.