By ALAN SNEL
The Las Vegas Bowl is pursuing an insurance company to become a last-minute title sponsor for its Dec. 16 game that will pit Mountain West champ Boise State against Pac 12 team Oregon at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Las Vegas Bowl Executive Director John Saccenti told LVSportsBiz.com that he had good talks with the insurance brand Friday and there’s a chance there could be a title sponsorship deal as early as Monday.
The brand logo could be ready for TV and signs, but the time crunch would limit putting the logo on other items, Saccenti said. He noted every day that passes without a title sponsorship with the company means less time and chances for activatization opportunities before the Dec. 16 game.
Motor oil producer Royal Purple had the last title sponsorship at the Las Vegas Bowl under a three-year deal, but did not renew in January 2016.
The Las Vegas Bowl will market the game through digital signs and continue using the Elvis football as its signature item to promote its 26th game. Boise State is 10-3 and ranked 25th in the final College Football Playoff rankings, while Oregon is 7-5.
On the Tuesday before the Saturday game Dec. 16, the coaching staffs and senior administrators of both universities will be treated to a Maverick Helicopters tour of the Strip after a reception of a scotch tasting and live music, Saccenti said. Maverick is a Las Vegas Bowl sponsor. Saccenti thinks the helicopter tour of the iconic Strip is the best gift for any bowl team in the country.
Saccenti said he was pleased with the match-up, which is expected to sell out at 38,500, with the possibility of increasing to 40,000. There are 18,000 tickets distributed between the two teams.
The average ticket price is $75, ranging from $45 to $120, Saccenti said.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were 6,000 tickets left for the bowl game, which has two teams that have fan followings that travel well. In 2006, Oregon played in its most recent Las Vegas Bowl and attendance was a record when BYU defeated the Oregon Ducks, Saccenti said. Boise State last appeared in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2010-12.
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates the Las Vegas Bowl. ESPN owns 14 bowl games in all, using the holiday time games as content to drive viewers to the network and ABC. The Las Vegas Bowl is set for 12:30 p.m. PT Dec. 16 and will be broadcast on ABC.
Contact LVSportsBiz.com founder/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com