Las Vegas Bowl Week 10 Projection: Utah vs. Mississippi State

The Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 17 marches ever closer, as 10 weeks of college football are now complete.

Here’s the latest on who may play in the game, which will match teams from the Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences.

Prediction: No. 13 Utah vs. Mississippi State

No. 7 LSU’s big overtime win against No. 10 Alabama on Saturday night in Baton Rouge likely moves the Tigers out of the Las Vegas Bowl’s selection window.

Utah cruised to a 45-20 win against Arizona Saturday, keeping pace with the rest of the teams at the top of the Pac-12. Mississippi State picked up a much-needed 39-33 win against Auburn in overtime and will be in the mix for a Las Vegas Bowl berth if it can beat No. 11 Ole Miss during the Egg Bowl at the end of the regular season in Oxford.

Up next:

The most important game in the Pac-12 for the Las Vegas Bowl will be No. 6 Oregon against No. 24 Washington. An Oregon win moves the Ducks closer to College Football Playoff qualification, which would alter the Pac-12’s bowl selections and solidify their status above the Las Vegas Bowl’s pick.

In the SEC, Alabama’s game against Ole Miss is the most important matchup. The Las Vegas Bowl will have high interest in whoever loses this game, as a two-loss Crimson Tide team is likely still too high in the rankings to play there. If Alabama were to lose their third game, however, the Crimson Tide could be in play.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.