Las Vegas Bowl hopes for certification

      The new format has been decided.
      An increased financial guarantee is in place.
      And the sponsorship has been confirmed.
      So it would seem the Las Vegas Bowl is set to go forward for a sixth year. Except for one minor detail -- the NCAA hasn't given the green light, meaning Las Vegas' 1997 postseason college football game at Sam Boyd Stadium remains nothing more than a concept.
      Whether or not the concept becomes reality will be decided soon, as the NCAA Special Events Committee begins its annual bowl certification process this morning in Orlando, Fla.
      One of the bowls on the docket is Las Vegas Bowl VI, and representatives from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority -- the game's sponsor -- are in Orlando to present their case to the committee today.
      "We feel very positive," Rossi Ralenkotter, vice president of marketing for the convention authority, said Tuesday from Orlando. "We've put together a video and brochure for the committee, and we're just going to summarize what our proposal is. ...
      "We have a history of the game over the last five years, and we're very confident the combination of what Las Vegas has to offer and the bowl itself is a win-win situation for everybody."
      Entering the 30-minute presentation, it would appear gaining approval from the 10-person committee would be a mere formality. After all, the Las Vegas Bowl will feature more high-profile teams and more money beginning this year.
      The first five Las Vegas Bowls, all of which were poorly attended, featured the little-known champions from the Big West and Mid-American conferences. Last month, the convention authority dropped that format in favor of one that will pit a Western Athletic Conference team against a bowl-eligible school from any other Division I-A conference.
      As a result, the convention authority boosted the per-team payouts from $150,000 to $800,000.
      Despite the changes, certification from the special events committee is not guaranteed because of one issue -- the stadium.
      NCAA rules stipulate bowl games must be played in a venue that has at least 50,000 seats. Sam Boyd has 32,000 permanent seats, and last year slightly more than 8,000 temporary bleachers were rented for the WAC championship game, bringing capacity to just over 40,000.
      The Las Vegas Bowl has received a stadium-capacity waiver from the NCAA the past five years because it was the only guaranteed bowl game for the Big West and Mid-American conferences. Today, the convention authority will seek an extension of that waiver, claiming its bowl game is improved and much more lucrative than in years past.
      "We meet all the other criteria," Ralenkotter said. "Everybody (we've talked to) has been very positive. We haven't heard anything negative."
      That's good news not only for the convention authority, but also for the WAC. The WAC, of which UNLV is a member, is guaranteed just two bowl berths for its 16 schools, so the conference is desperate for more postseason opportunities.
      In fact, in addition to the Las Vegas Bowl, the WAC has shown interest in a bowl game the Big West is trying to formulate for its champion. That game, which would be played in Boise, Idaho, also is seeking certification in Orlando this week.
      "Right now, the WAC needs to look at all bowl game opportunities," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said earlier this week. "We certainly wouldn't discount any bowl, especially in the West."
      As for the Las Vegas Bowl, Benson said the WAC has sent letters of support to the special events committee in hopes of helping the convention authority's cause. Bobby May, athletics director at WAC-mem- ber Rice University, is on the committee.
      "I'll be terribly disappointed if the (stadium) waiver isn't given and certification isn't granted," Benson said. "Disappointed and surprised."
      The game's fate should be known Friday, when the committee is expected to announce its certification decisions, Ralenkotter said.
      Assuming approval, the convention authority's next step would be to finalize a contract with Benson, who said the conference presidents have given him authority to enter into an agreement with the Las Vegas Bowl.
      After the contract is signed, the convention authority would begin formal talks with network and cable television executives. The TV deal would determine the date and time of the game, which again would be during the third week of December.