Las Vegas Bowl pits Big Ten against familiar Pac-12 face — PHOTOS

By Andy Yamashita Las Vegas Review-Journal

12 months ago

Las Vegas Bowl Executive Director John Saccenti announces that the Las Vegas Bowl will feature University of Utah facing Northwestern University on Saturday, Dec. 23, at Allegiant Stadium during a press conference at the Fertitta Football Complex in Las Vegas, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__rae

Las Vegas Bowl Executive Director John Saccenti poses for photos with showgirls after a press conference announcing that the Las Vegas Bowl will feature University of Utah facing Northwestern University at the Fertitta Football Complex in Las Vegas, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__rae

Utah running back Jaylon Glover (1) in the first half during an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

The Big Ten returns to Las Vegas when Northwestern takes on Pac-12 powerhouse Utah in the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl, executive director John Saccenti announced Sunday.

The game will be held at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 23 at Allegiant Stadium and broadcast on ABC (KTNV-13 locally).

Utah (8-4) will make its record-tying sixth Las Vegas Bowl appearance, most recently beating Brigham Young 35-28 in 2015. Northwestern (7-5) will make its Las Vegas Bowl debut.

The two schools have played three times, most recently in the 2018 Holiday Bowl, where the Wildcats beat the Utes 31-20. Northwestern leads the all-time series 2-1.

The Utes had been a potential Las Vegas Bowl for weeks, Saccenti said. Once No. 14 Arizona was confirmed for the Alamo Bowl, the decision came down to Utah or Southern California.

Utah beat USC in their head-to-head matchup this season. Additionally, the Utah fan base’s reputation for traveling well and worries about which players might sit out for USC convinced the Las Vegas Bowl to take the Utes, Saccenti said, especially after several Florida players sat out last year’s Las Vegas Bowl.

Utah fans “love traveling to Las Vegas,” Saccenti said. “They’re actually excited to be here.”

The Wildcats entered the picture much later. They suffered a tumultuous start to the season after an offseason scandal over hazing allegations led to the firing of coach Pat Fitzgerald, and they were 4-5 with three games remaining.

Northwestern won its final three games, rallying around interim coach David Braun to beat Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois in the final game of the season, a 45-43 victory that secured a winning record and prevented the Wildcats’ in-state rival from reaching bowl eligibility.

Braun had the interim tag removed and was made full-time coach Nov. 15.

“This is a program that has a lot of momentum behind them, and we were a destination that they really like,” Saccenti said.

Added Braun in a press release: “From the start of this season, this group’s focus has been on writing its own story, and for our team to have the opportunity to step on the field together one more time is something we truly cherish.”

This is the second time the Las Vegas Bowl will feature the Pac-12 and the Big Ten since new conference tie-ins were created ahead of the 2020 season.

Wisconsin beat Arizona State and current Heisman candidate Jayden Daniels — now at Louisiana State — 20-13 in 2021, the first Las Vegas Bowl to feature the Big Ten.

Oregon State defeated Florida 30-3 in last year’s game.

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