The 2020 Las Vegas Bowl will not be played this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ESPN Events announced on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately we will have to wait another year to present the Las Vegas Bowl in its new home,” said John Saccenti, Las Vegas Bowl executive director. “This was a difficult decision but the right one considering that our game was founded nearly three decades ago to help drive tourism to the Entertainment Capital of the World during the month of December. We are looking forward to making our bowl week bigger and better than ever in 2021.”
The game, which was set to be the 29th edition of the contest, was slated to be played at the brand-new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game would have featured a matchup between teams from the Pac-12 and the SEC for the first time in its history.
“The Pac-12 is disappointed for our teams and fans that the Las Vegas Bowl has been forced to cancel this year’s game,” said Larry Scott, Pac-12 Commissioner. “We look forward to next year’s game, which promises to be a fantastic national stage in one of the world’s best football stadiums, to showcase Pac-12 football.”
The 2020-21 college football bowl schedule is now down to 34 games overall, including the College Football Playoff National Championship. Nine other bowl games had already been canceled: Bahamas Bowl, Celebration Bowl (FCS), Fenway Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, RedBox Bowl, SDCCU Holiday Bowl, Quick Lane Bowl, New Era Pinstripe Bowl, and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
“We are disappointed the Las Vegas Bowl has been cancelled for the 2020 football season and will miss the opportunity for SEC student-athletes to experience an exciting new venue,” said Greg Sankey, SEC Commissioner. “We have no doubt the Las Vegas Bowl will be a great part of the future SEC bowl lineup and look forward to our partnership in the years ahead.”
The College Football Bowl Schedule is currently set to kickoff on Saturday, Dec. 19 with the Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game will feature two teams from either the American, Conference USA, MAC or Mountain West.
On Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, the two College Football Playoff semifinal games will take place. Hosts this season are the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, Calif., and the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. The semifinal games will kickoff at 5:00pm ET and 8:45pm ET, respectively.
The College Football National Championship concludes the college football season on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021 at 8:00pm ET. The two playoff semifinal winners will meet at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Post-Season Schedules
Another 3-2 PAC 12 team is going to be very disappointed.