Bowl game with SEC tie-in canceled for 2020
The Las Vegas Bowl was set to feature an SEC team for the first time this year. Unfortunately, the 2020 game has officially been canceled, ESPN Events announced Wednesday.
“Unfortunately we will have to wait another year to present the Las Vegas Bowl in its new home,” John Saccenti, Las Vegas Bowl executive director, said in the announcement. “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.”
December’s game was slated to be the first bowl game played in Allegiant Stadium, the new stadium near the Las Vegas Strip and home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. The 2020 game was slated to feature a new matchup between the Pac-12 Conference and Southeastern Conference, as part of a rotating cycle that also includes the Big Ten Conference.
Both conference commissioners released statements on the cancelation:
“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 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 decision comes as Nevada state officials ordered a statewide pause that includes reduced public and private gathering size.
And I thought Las Vegas was a GAMBLING town!
Another reason for the NCAA division I to have a division 2 bracket. Bowl sponsors wouldn’t have to be circled out by this. Ads happen during the basketball tourney.
Can you please explain this point further?
Thanks….I thought it was just me having a brain fault. I read that post 3-4 times and still cant figure it out.
Whew! I thought they were cancelling the Gasparilla Bowl
It is just the tip of the iceberg. These bowls cannot afford to play their games and lose multiple millions of dollars, especially when the sponsors have lost millions and millions in this artificial recessionary year.
I agree. We’re starting to hear from the ones in the most financial peril. The middling bowls will start to close shop soon. At most, 10-15 bowls will be played.
“At most, 10-15 bowls will be played.”
More than enough really. All of the toilet bowl specials with 5-6 win teams have made bowl season a joke.
Tigurrr, That will includes Missouri if they go 6-4 or 5-5.
TrueLefty , no, in a normal year yes, but that’s fine, a 6 win Mizzou team isn’t special in a normal year, in an ALL SEC 8 game season it is.
Just like many including myself have been saying, all these bowl projections and giving hope to schools with losing records is a waste. More cancellations will come. Lesser bowls have a hard time getting crowds anyway(if its a real bowl, not like the New Orleans Bowl designed for Louisiana-Lafayette if they can manage 6 wins). In a Covid year, its just not going to matter much. Better to cancel now than have a team back out a day or two before the game because of positive tests.
The Bowl-Dominoes are falling fast this year. Let’s face it there were so many Bowl Games that being in one was not really special anymore. Not many fans in the stadiums, etc.
Sounds like there won’t be any bowl games west of El Paso.
South Carolina fans must be hoping they don’t cancel the “Wait Until Next Year Bowl” sponsored by xanax and jim beam?
Just another thing we can thank trump for! Ruined the regular season, ruining the post season.