Las Vegas Bowl Projection: Oregon State-Mississippi State
November 28, 2022 - 6:17 pm
Rivalry week shook up college football on Saturday, but the Dec. 17 Las Vegas Bowl’s outlook seems fairly stable just one week before the matchup is announced Dec. 4.
Projection: No. 16 Oregon State vs. No. 25 Mississippi State
The Las Vegas Bowl’s selection is fairly set on the Southeastern Conference side. Mississippi State’s 24-22 Egg Bowl win against Ole Miss makes them the favorites for a Las Vegas Bowl bid, especially since No. 20 South Carolina might have played itself out of the selection window by beating No. 10 Clemson.
On the Pac-12 side, the Las Vegas Bowl’s choice will come down to Oregon State and No. 17 UCLA. The Bruins boast former Las Vegas prep star Dorian Thompson-Robinson, however, he may sit out of the team’s bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. His uncertain status, coupled with UCLA’s poor attendance, gives the Beavers the edge.
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The only games this week to watch are the two championship games. There’s still a slight chance No. 11 LSU falls into the Las Vegas Bowl window with a loss to No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship game, especially after the Tigers’ surprising 38-23 loss to unranked Texas A&M Saturday.
The Pac-12 championship game — played at Allegiant Stadium — will mainly finalize bowl seeding. A No. 4 USC win gives the Trojans a shot at the College Football Playoff, possibly bumps No. 9 Washington into the Rose Bowl and solidifies No. 12 Utah and No. 15 Oregon above the Las Vegas Bowl’s selection window. A Utes win makes everything chaotic, potentially making the Ducks available for the Las Vegas Bowl.
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.