Las Vegas Looks To Become Western Hub Of Neutral Site Major College Football Games Thanks To Allegiant Stadium
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
With fans allowed in the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, there are a lot of “firsts” for the 65,000-seat domed venue a 15-minute walk from the Strip this summer.
First Raiders preseason game with fans. First full-capacity concert. First sold out international soccer game. And now the first non-UNLV college football game set for Saturday when the BYU and Arizona collide in the neutral-site Vegas Kickoff Classic game.
ADVERTISEMENT: Presenting Sponsor of Story, click for info
ADVERTISEMENT
These types of neutral-site college games allows Las Vegas to position itself as the western USA hub for bigtime college football games outside of the UNLV football schedule.
Both BYU and Arizona are from neighboring states with fans who travel well to sports events in Las Vegas.
LVSportsBiz.com caught up with John Saccenti, Vegas Kickoff Classic and SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl executive director, to get his thoughts on BYU and how the new stadium can drive college football games to Las Vegas.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Here’s our Q and A with Saccento:
LVSB: What BYU game in Las Vegas sticks out the most for you?
JS: It’s a toss-up for me. The 2005 Las Vegas Bowl will always hold a special place in my heart and had a huge impact on the Las Vegas Bowl. That was the first sellout in the history of the game. It completely changed the perception of the event, which led to selling out eight of the next 10 where we averaged 40,000-plus in the stands. The other was the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl, the “Holy War in Sin City,” BYU vs Utah, which sold out in one day. That was the craziest game I’ve ever seen. Utah was leading 35-0 in the first quarter and ended up having to hold on through the last play to win 35-28. It was wild!
LVSB: Do you see BYU playing a Power 5 conference team in Las Vegas as a neutral site game every year?
JS: BYU is a huge national brand with a national fan base, I think they’ll look to do these types of games but I would expect them to move around. However, I’d expect them to have another one in Las Vegas at some point
LVSB: How many tickets will be sold and how many people do you see coming to Vegas for the BYU vs Arizona game Saturday?
JS: We are currently at 55,000
LVSB: If Las Vegas becomes known as the West Coast neutral-site college football game, do you see Las Vegas hosting a national championship game?
JS: If there was ever a city that was made for major events like the CFP National Championship, it’s Las Vegas. As a college football fan and someone who loves Las Vegas I think it’s really a matter of when — and not if — that happens here.
Buy the official book of LVSportsBiz.com. Email asnel@LVSportsBiz.com to buy your copy.
