Pac-12 moves football title game out of Las Vegas for 2020

Allegiant Stadium will not host this season’s Pac-12 Conference football championship game on Dec. 4, the league announced Friday.

The Pac-12 said in releasing its 2020 revised schedule that it had agreed with the Raiders, who run Allegiant Stadium, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority that the two-year contract to play the title game at the venue will start in 2021 instead. This year’s title game now will be hosted by a member school.

“We certainly understand the Pac-12 feeling like that was the right decision for the conference and the players and fans and everybody involved,” LVCVA president and CEO Steve Hill said. “The partnership with the conference is really important to Vegas. Given the circumstances, we were happy to work with them.”

The Pac-12 had played its title game the past six years at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, but announced an agreement last July to bring the game to Las Vegas. The conference also plays its men’s and women’s conference basketball tournaments at local venues, though those were canceled in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to surge nationwide.

The Pac-12 at the beginning of July announced the cancellation of all non-conference football games, and unveiled an amended 10-game schedule Friday. The season is set to begin Sept. 26 and will include two marquee rivalry games — Arizona State at Arizona and USC at UCLA — in its opening week.

The season will start later if necessary, the league said.

Each school will have five home games and five road games with the ability to make up dates during each school’s bye week or in Week 12 (Dec. 12).

“The schedule and return-to-play plans provide for maximum flexibility and the best opportunity to play all fall sports in an environment that prioritizes safety,” conference commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “At the same time, we will continue to evaluate the best available science, data and advice of public health officials as we make decisions and any required adjustments going forward.”

Sports editor Bill Bradley contributed to this report. Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter