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Could Big Ten play its football title game in Las Vegas?

Updated August 12, 2023 - 1:52 pm

Big Ten and Las Vegas officials are in discussions about hosting the power conference’s championship football game at Allegiant Stadium.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill said those talks are in the early stages.

“The Big 10 has asked us to submit proposals,” Hill said in a text message to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’m sure they have asked a number of cities. We are certainly interested, will put our best foot forward and know there is no better place for their football championship.”

The Big Ten wasn’t available for comment.

Big Ten’s football championship game has been held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis since its inception in 2011. The conference’s contract with the home of the Indianapolis Colts expires after the 2024 game.

Allegiant Stadium has hosted the Pac-12 Conference’s football championship each of the past two years and will again this winter. With the Pac-12 scheduled to lose all but four of its member schools next year, it would appear that event is on its way out of Las Vegas.

Allegiant Stadium, a 65,000-seat facility, hosted a notable neutral-site game in 2022 when Notre Dame beat Brigham Young 28-20 in front of 55,996 fans. Of that total, 87 percent were from out of town, according to Las Vegas Stadium Authority data.

Next year Allegiant Stadium will see Louisiana State of the Southeastern Conference face Southern California, which by that time will have switched from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten.

The Las Vegas Bowl has been played at Allegiant Stadium since 2021, where a Pac-12 school faces either a Big Ten or SEC school. With the pending demise of the Pac-12, the conference affiliations of the teams for that bowl game are likely to change after this year.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.

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