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Countdown to the Las Vegas Bowl: Could it be LSU-Oregon?

Updated October 4, 2022 - 10:17 am

The Las Vegas Bowl, which is scheduled to be played on Dec. 17 at Allegiant Stadium, will feature for the first time a team from the Southeastern Conference. That team will face an opponent from the Pac-12.

Here is a brief explanation of how the teams will be selected and an early projection for which teams may make it there.

Pac-12

The Las Vegas Bowl gets the second pick of Pac-12 teams. The conference champion is automatically selected to the Rose Bowl, unless it makes the College Football Playoff, in which case the second-best team in the Pac-12 heads to Pasadena, California.

The Alamo Bowl has priority next, but can pass over a school with a better record if it played in the Alamo Bowl during the previous season. The Las Vegas Bowl takes the best remaining team.

SEC

The selection process for the SEC is more complicated. The conference champion plays in the Sugar Bowl, but if it makes the CFP, the second-best team goes to New Orleans instead. Then the Citrus Bowl takes the best SEC team available, before the Las Vegas Bowl and five other bowl games can make an offer to bowl-eligible SEC teams.

Early projection: LSU vs. Oregon

It’s extremely early to make any solid predictions, but No. 12 Oregon and No. 25 Louisiana State are strong contenders. The Tigers are already set to play at Allegiant Stadium in 2024 in the Vegas Kickoff Classic.

The Ducks, because they played in the 2021 Alamo Bowl, are more likely to be available for the Las Vegas Bowl than Utah, another attractive option. Both Oregon and Utah have one loss.

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