Viva Las Vegas One Last Time

Once again Boise State is headed to the Las Vegas Bowl Saturday December 21st against the Washington Huskies.

This will be the Broncos 5th trip to sin city for a post season college football bowl game where Boise State has won all four previous games, including a 28-26 win over Washington. The Broncos have also beaten Utah, Oregon and Arizona State in Vegas.

This Las Vegas adventure has some added intrigue since Washington will be coached for the last time by Chris Petersen who is also a Boise State coaching legend.

Sunday Petersen said that of all the college football teams, Boise State was probably the last team he wanted to face in a bowel game this year.

Bronco head coach Bryan Harsin meantime worried the story line for the game would be on the coaches and not the players.

Obviously the Las Vegas Bowl is not where Harsin and the Broncos wanted to be this post season, they had their sights on the Cotton Bowl. That bid went to Memphis as the highest ranked Group of 5 team in the final College Football Playoff poll. Memphis will face Penn State.

Harsin lamented Sunday on the Mountain West Conference's lack of lobbying for a New Years six bowl and then he aimed his frustration at his own athletic director and University president saying it was time for Boise State to commit even further to the football program, specifically citing the need to improve the east side stands at Albertson's stadium.

All of this rhetoric took away from the bowl announcement which while disappointing on some levels, turns out to be an pretty interesting match up. The Vegas Bowl has been ranked by some as the best non New Years Six Bowl game and the 8th overall game of the bowl season.

Washington has been installed an early 3-point favorite.

Of course Boise State wasn't the only Mountain West team to earn a bowl bid, here is a list of the other Bowls featuring Mountain West teams:

Friday Dec. 20th The Frisco Bowl-Frisco, Texas: Utah State vs. Kent State

Saturday Dec.21st The New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State vs. Central Michigan

Tuesday Dec. 24 The Hawaii Bowl: BYU vs. Hawaii

Friday Dec. 27 The Cheez-It Bowl, Phoenix: Air Force vs. Washington St.

Monday Dec. 30th Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State

Friday Jan.3 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Nevada vs. Ohio