BYU lays claim to six of the eight highest attended Las Vegas Bowls, playing in front of no less than 40,000 in each of six appearancesGETTY IMAGES
BYU opens its '21 season this weekend against the Univ. of Arizona in the Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegiant Stadium, and "more than 57,000 tickets have already been purchased" for the neutral-site matchup, according to Dave McCann of the DESERET NEWS. BYU AD Tom Holmoe said, "Las Vegas has been really good for BYU athletics going back to the games with UNLV, the Las Vegas Bowl and the Mountain West and West Coast Conference basketball tournaments. We are there quite a bit. Our people love to go to Vegas.” McCann writes BYU's season opener is "on track to attract the largest gathering of BYU fans outside the state of Utah in program history." With a possible "BYU-to-the-Big 12 scenario," the opportunity for the Cougars to "show their strength by filling a road venue, is timely." The idea of BYU playing neutral-site games in Las Vegas was "hatched more than a decade ago." The Cougars "lay claim to six of the eight highest attended Las Vegas Bowls -- playing in front of no less than 40,000 in each of their six appearances." President of Las Vegas Events Pat Christenson said, “I’m hoping to see them play a single game in Allegiant Stadium every year against a top-25, Power Five team." Holmoe said that BYU also is "looking at staging future neutral-site games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California" (DESERET NEWS, 8/31).
