Caught this while doing some research elsewhere:

Quote:Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill told The Mercury News that he would like to pit Pac-12 teams against schools from the SEC and Big Ten in future seasons for early-season showcase games at the new Allegiant Stadium.

"Anything that works elsewhere works even better in Las Vegas," Hill told the Mercury News.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...t-stadium/

I'd like to know whether this would work for that region. It's one thing to have such events in Arlington, New Orleans or Atlanta, where the sport is well-entrenched, but I'm not sure it could work in Vegas. Assuming this type of game happens in the early part of the season, the weather in the North is still warm enough that not many people may be motivated to head out there, as opposed to the months of December and January, when the weather would have drastically changed.

Certain programs might find it beneficial to increase their exposure in the West, like Nebraska or Wisconsin. I'm not sure the likes of Ohio State would, when they can host the likes of Oregon and Washington at their home stadium.

It's Las Vegas. Many people like having any excuse to fly out and spend a weekend there. It's even crowded in the summer when it's hella hot there. And they have a brand new stadium that diehards might want to check out.

Not everyone loves Vegas, obviously, but no doubt MGM or whomever knows where their visitors come from and can target teams from those areas. Even just getting the game on TV as basically a 4-hour commercial for Vegas probably has value to them, like it does for many bowl game destinations.

(07-01-2021 04:21 PM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  Caught this while doing some research elsewhere:

Quote:Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill told The Mercury News that he would like to pit Pac-12 teams against schools from the SEC and Big Ten in future seasons for early-season showcase games at the new Allegiant Stadium.

"Anything that works elsewhere works even better in Las Vegas," Hill told the Mercury News.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...t-stadium/

I'd like to know whether this would work for that region. It's one thing to have such events in Arlington, New Orleans or Atlanta, where the sport is well-entrenched, but I'm not sure it could work in Vegas. Assuming this type of game happens in the early part of the season, the weather in the North is still warm enough that not many people may be motivated to head out there, as opposed to the months of December and January, when the weather would have drastically changed.

Certain programs might find it beneficial to increase their exposure in the West, like Nebraska or Wisconsin. I'm not sure the likes of Ohio State would, when they can host the likes of Oregon and Washington at their home stadium.

In 2020 Michigan was scheduled to play at Washington and Ohio State at Oregon before COVID-19 canceled the games. OSU is going to Washington in 2024.

I'm surprised more schools don't want to play games in California. Obviously one of USC's and Stanford's non conference games each year is Notre Dame so that limits their availability. Auburn has home and homes scheduled with both California Berkeley and UCLA in the 2020's. Cal has a home and home with Florida. UCLA with both LSU and Georgia, USC with Mississippi, and Stanford with Vanderbilt. UCLA has one with Wisconsin and California with Minnesota.

I don't know if Las Vegas is that much more of an attraction to non Western schools than San Francisco or Los Angeles. It certainly would be a better attraction than the Pacific Northwest or Arizona and maybe it can attract teams to play Oregon or Washington more often.

Neutral site games in Vegas might be a tough sell. Teams from the Eastern US are going to want a return game closer to home in exchange for going to the West Coast.

I guess an early season game in Las Vegas would have to be after dark, right? So about 10:00 PM ET? or is it a full dome?

(07-03-2021 10:55 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  I guess an early season game in Las Vegas would have to be after dark, right? So about 10:00 PM ET? or is it a full dome?

Fixed roof.

(07-03-2021 11:02 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(07-03-2021 10:55 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  I guess an early season game in Las Vegas would have to be after dark, right? So about 10:00 PM ET? or is it a full dome?

Fixed roof.

Is it air conditioned?

And why does it need to involve PAC 12 teams? The ones you would probably want are pretty far from Vegas and would be no more likely to attend in person than fans from Texas or Oklahoma.

(07-03-2021 12:07 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(07-03-2021 11:02 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(07-03-2021 10:55 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  I guess an early season game in Las Vegas would have to be after dark, right? So about 10:00 PM ET? or is it a full dome?

Fixed roof.

Is it air conditioned?

Hell yeah.
https://www.lmses.com/project/allegiant-stadium/

(07-03-2021 12:07 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(07-03-2021 11:02 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(07-03-2021 10:55 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  I guess an early season game in Las Vegas would have to be after dark, right? So about 10:00 PM ET? or is it a full dome?

Fixed roof.

Is it air conditioned?

And why does it need to involve PAC 12 teams? The ones you would probably want are pretty far from Vegas and would be no more likely to attend in person than fans from Texas or Oklahoma.

If Texas or Oklahoma play a non Pac 12/Big 12 team, what incentive other than a boatload of cash do they have to go to Vegas (and Jerry World, Atlanta, etc. can throw a bunch of cash at them too)? The game site has to be mutually agreeable to both parties. It's one thing to get Texas/Oklahoma to go to the West Coast to play a West Coast team, it's another to convince two non West Coast teams to.

Between the SEC and Big Ten, all you have to find is one willing participant annually. Shouldn't be too hard.

We're likely not talking about the Alabamas and the Ohio States, but someone will sign up for a showcase game.

(07-05-2021 07:39 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  Between the SEC and Big Ten, all you have to find is one willing participant annually. Shouldn't be too hard.

We're likely not talking about the Alabamas and the Ohio States, but someone will sign up for a showcase game.

What if the one willing participant is Rutgers?

(07-05-2021 08:37 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(07-05-2021 07:39 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  Between the SEC and Big Ten, all you have to find is one willing participant annually. Shouldn't be too hard.

We're likely not talking about the Alabamas and the Ohio States, but someone will sign up for a showcase game.

What if the one willing participant is Rutgers?

Then Rutgers and Cal will get it on live from Vegas.