Las Vegas Bowl matchup takes shape before teams are revealed Sunday

The college football regular season is nearly complete, and half of the Las Vegas Bowl matchup looks to be set. The other half, not so much.

This year’s game will take place on New Year’s Eve at Allegiant Stadium and features a school from the Big Ten against a current or former member of the Pac-12. The participants will be announced Sunday.

Projection: Illinois vs. Utah

The Fighting Illini (8-4) defeated in-state rival Northwestern on Saturday and closed with three wins in their final four games.

Illinois was picked for this game by ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated. Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 2,811 yards with 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. The defense is led by senior Gabe Jacas, who has 11 sacks.

Other Big Ten teams that could be selected based on projections include Iowa and Nebraska.

Utah (10-2) is No. 15 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings after its 31-21 victory over Kansas on Saturday and was the near-consensus selection for this game by ESPN.com, CBS Sportsline, Athlon Sports and The Athletic.

The Utes feature a powerful offense that averages 41.1 points per game, which ranks sixth in FBS. Quarterback Devon Dampier threw for 2,180 yards and 22 touchdowns. He is also second on the team in rushing behind Wayshawn Parker, who averages 7.0 yards per carry.

Utah has played in the Las Vegas Bowl six times, tied with BYU for the most appearances in the game’s history. The Utes lost 14-7 to Northwestern in 2023.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.