Countdown to Las Vegas Bowl: Could it be LSU-Oregon?
Six weeks of college football have been completed, and bowl season marches ever closer. As the only scheduled matchup between the Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference, the Las Vegas Bowl has some options this week.
Projection: No. 16 Mississippi State vs. No. 20 Utah
Let’s be clear, it’s still very early to determine who might play in the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl. Both of last week’s projected teams, No. 12 Oregon and Louisiana State, are still in contention.
But Mississippi State and Utah seem like two of the leading candidates this week. Utah lost to No. 11 UCLA 42-32, dropping them into the selection window for the Las Vegas Bowl. Mississippi State beat Arkansas convincingly, 40-17, joining LSU as the only teams in the SEC with 2-1 conference records.
Coming Up
The one major Pac-12 game to keep an eye on is Utah playing No. 7 Southern California. A Utes’ win adds lots of uncertainty to bowl predictions, but a loss will keep them squarely in the Las Vegas Bowl’s range.
The SEC has two important games for the Las Vegas Bowl: LSU vs. Florida, and Mississippi State vs. Kentucky. If the Gators and Wildcats win, all four of these teams will be 2-2 in the conference, adding more teams into the pool for the Las Vegas Bowl to consider.
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.
Andy Yamashita Las Vegas Review-Journal