The final Pac-12 football game is set for the takeoff.
Oregon and Washington meet again, this time with a conference championship and playoff bid on the line. The Ducks and Huskies face off in Las Vegas, where the Pac-12 concludes on Friday evening.
It's not unusual to have a title game in a city without a university in the conference. All over Power 5 championships are held in unrelated cities: the SEC in Atlanta, Big Ten in Indianapolis, ACC in Charlotte and Big 12 in Arlington. However, each hosting state has a team in its respective conference.
The Pac-12 championship game has taken place in Nevada for only a few years, making the jump after several years in northern California.
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Why is it in Las Vegas?
Why is the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas?
The Pac-12 championship game was moved to Las Vegas in 2021 after being held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara for six years.
While the 2020 title game was supposed to be held in Allegiant Stadium, the pandemic changed the conference's plans. Instead, the Pac-12 went back to its old model where participating teams would host the championship game. USC hosted the 2020 final at LA Coliseum before Las Vegas began its reign.
The decision to move out of Santa Clara, was made in 2019 when then-Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott announced it at the conference's media day. Allegiant Stadium, then being called the Las Vegas Stadium, was being built for the future-Las Vegas Raiders and was complete the following summer.
"Our Pac-12 universities and entire conference are thrilled to have our 2020 and 2021 football championship event take place in one of the most anticipated new venues in sports," Scott said. "Highlighting and showcasing our programs on one of the biggest stages in a major destination market is a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes, universities and fans, and consistent with our mission to create the best possible experiences for student-athletes."
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At the time of the announcement, both men's and women's Pac-12 basketball tournaments were being held in Las Vegas; the men played their first tournament there in 2013 while the women did so in 2019.
Scott also noted reason for the move to improve fan experience. Once completed, Allegiant Stadium would be only three miles from the Las Vegas strip. Levi's Stadium, on the other hand, is 8.3 miles from San Jose and 42.7 miles from San Francisco. It was difficult for fans to access, resulting in low attendance.
And the Pac-12 saw success in Vegas after the first championship game in 2021. Utah's win over Oregon had 56,511 in attendance, a capacity rate of 92 percent. It became the conference's most-attended football championship game in neutral-site history, a record that was broken the following season. Utah's second Pac-12 championship, this time with a win over USC, was considered a sell-out with 61,195 fans in attendance.
Jayden Daniels Las Vegas billboard
On the day of the Pac-12 championship between the Ducks and Huskies, a Tiger popped up nearby.
LSU wanted to make sure Jayden Daniels wasn't forgotten about in the race for the Heisman, so his face and name was plastered on a billboard along I-15 in Las Vegas. The social media post from LSU football includes a link to a webpage that argues for Daniels for the Heisman. He currently stands as a top contender for the trophy alongside Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. The Pac-12 title game could help decide that victor as well as one of the College Football Playoff teams.
The Best Player In College Football
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 1, 2023
📍 Las Vegas, Nevada https://t.co/UuefLCpYBe pic.twitter.com/MPPOKDGbLq
At the conclusion of the regular season, Daniels threw a national-best 40 passing touchdowns with 412.2 yards per game. He completed 3,812 passing yards, third in the FBS behind Nix and Penix.
MORE: Heisman Trophy odds: Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels favored
