The Pac-12 and Mountain West Conference officially announced the creation of the LA Bowl, which will see the MWC's "top team will face the fifth choice from the Pac-12" at SoFi Stadium in December for "at least the next six years," according to Greg Beacham of the AP. Both conferences "jumped at the chance to underline the L.A. market’s importance to them by creating an annual showcase for two programs." The Pac-12/MWC bowl matchup "had been played annually in Las Vegas" since '01, but that bowl "made big changes this year with the opening of Allegiant Stadium." The Las Vegas Bowl now will "match a Pac-12 team against an opponent from the SEC or the Big Ten in a post-Christmas television slot." A date "isn’t firmly set for the LA Bowl, but it’s expected to occur on a Saturday in December." Organizers "still haven’t decided whether they’ll have a title sponsor for their inaugural edition." If they do, the sponsor’s name will "come after the LA Bowl’s name" in a presenting sponsorship. SoFi Stadium "admittedly is an enormous venue for a non-playoff bowl game," but the conferences "have already thought about ways to fill as much of the arena as possible" (AP, 2/26).
