Utah joins San Diego State as the latest Mountain West schools to accept a bowl bid. Utah is heading to the Las Vegas Bowl for the first time since they beat a Carson Palmer lead USC 10-6 back on Christmas day in 2001. The opponent is still not determined due to the Pac-10 not having enough teams. It has been speculated that it could be a MAC team, Boise State, Nevada or even Notre Dame.
Here is the press release from the Las Vegas Bowl:
LAS VEGAS - The University of Utah, which began its nation-leading nine-game bowl winning streak here more than a decade ago, has accepted an invitation and will return to play in the 19th annual MAACO Bowl Las Vegas at 5 p.m. PT on Dec. 22, Executive Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy announced Wednesday.
The Utes, who are ranked 21st in both polls and sit 20th in this week's BCS Standings, are 10-2 overall and finished 7-1 in Mountain West Conference play. Head coach Kyle Whittingham and his team will represent the MWC for the final time before beginning play in the Pacific-10 Conference in 2011.
Utah's opponent for the game will be announced this weekend. All-time, Utah is 2-0 in the event, having won the 1999 Las Vegas Bowl over Fresno State, 17-16, and the 2001 edition over Southern California by a score of 10-6.
''Our committee is thrilled to welcome back an old friend in Utah, which has had so much success in the Las Vegas Bowl but hasn't played here in nine years,'' Kunzer-Murphy said. ''We expect to feature another great matchup in front of what we hope will be another sold-out crowd.''
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