Utah didn?t exactly hit the bowl jackpot after its most successful season in the Pac-12. The Utes (9-3, 6-3) are headed to the same place as last year ? the Las Vegas Bowl. This time, though, they?ll face BYU (9-3) ? bringing a sooner-than-planned end to a two-year hiatus of the rivalry.
The Utes and Cougars will meet Dec. 19 (1:30 p.m., ABC) at Sam Boyd Stadium.
?What a matchup we have for Las Vegas this year,? bowl executive director John Saccenti said in making the announcement. ?We are excited to host the renewal of such an intense in-state rivalry between Utah and BYU. It?s going to be an electric atmosphere at the 24th edition of our game.?
The Utes, who defeated Colorado State 45-10 in last year?s Las Vegas Bowl, will make their fifth appearance in the game.
?After being nationally ranked since the second week of the season and finishing as co-champion of the Pac-12 South Division, we are looking forward to our ninth bowl game in the last 11 seasons,? Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement. ?Las Vegas is a great destination for our fans and the bowl organizers work hard to make it a memorable experience for the players.?
Although Utah joined Stanford and Oregon as the only Pac-12 teams to be in the final Associated Press Top 25 (No. 20), the Amway Coaches Poll (No. 20) and College Football Playoff rankings (No. 22), the Utes didn?t fare well in the conference?s bowl selection process. After the Cardinal and Ducks were designated for the Rose and Alamo bowls, respectively, they were passed over by the Holiday (USC), Foster Farms (UCLA) and Sun (Washington State) bowls ? landing in the sixth spot for Las Vegas.
?This has been our best season as members of the Pac-12 and we are pleased at the opportunity to play one more game,? said Utah athletics director Dr. Chris Hill. ?Through our past experience, we know that the people involved with the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl will provide a wonderful experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans.?
The Utes are going bowling for the 20th time. Their previous bowl appearances include: Sun (1939, 2011), Pineapple (1947), Liberty (1964, 2003), Copper (1992, 1996), Freedom (1993, 1994), Las Vegas (1989. 2001, 2010, 2014), Fiesta (2005), Emerald (2005), Armed Forces (2006), Poinsettia (2007, 2009) and Sugar (2009)
BYU will be Utah?s 18th different bowl opponent, joining Alabama, Arizona, Boise State, California, Colorado State, Fresno State, Georgia Tech (2), Hawaii, Navy, New Mexico, Pittsburgh, Southern Miss, Tulsa, USC (2), Washington State, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The Utes and Cougars are in the second year of a two-season break in the long-running series. They?re scheduled to resume regular meetings in 2016 with a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 10.
?My reaction is I?m grateful. I?m grateful that we?re in a bowl,? said senior linebacker Gionni Paul. ?I?m grateful that the Las Vegas Bowl took us.?
Even so, Paul admits it would have been nice to do something different. However, Paul said that the opportunity to play a rivalry game and finish the season with 10 wins is tough to beat.
Junior kicker Andy Phillips also has mixed thoughts about making a repeat visit to the Las Vegas Bowl.
?I?m the kind of guy who would like to see a little bit more and see what else is out there,? he said. ?But I?m excited to go back there because I know that they do a good job of hosting us.?
Phillips is confident the Utes can match or exceed the intensity BYU is expected to have in Bronco Mendenhall?s final game with the Cougars before he departs for Virginia.
?Obviously this is going to be a very emotional game. We understand the situation down there,? Phillips said. ?So when it comes to our preparation, we prepare the same for every game ? whether it?s BYU or whoever else.?
Senior quarterback Travis Wilson is equally confident.
?Their coach is going away, but we?re just capable of playing Utah football and playing how we?ve been playing this whole season,? Wilson said. ?Our intensity shouldn?t even be in question.?
Wilson is looking forward to the challenge.
?It?s going to be a great game,? he said. ?It?s another opportunity for all these guys to play again ? one more time ? and I?m hoping everybody can just really buy in and prepare, and be ready for this bowl game.?
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