Oregon State loves a good underdog story, and that’s exactly the role the Beavers play in securing a spot at the Las Vegas Bowl on December 30th.
Vegas is one of three bowls in play for OSU. The Beavers are a long way off at best, as they pit against three teams with better conference records and two with bigger TV markets and fan bases that can head to Las Vegas.
But when the Las Vegas committee meets Tuesday night to discuss possible scenarios, the beavers will be in the discussion.
As Jim Carrey once said, are you telling me that there is a chance?
Las Vegas Bowl Executive Director John Saccenti didn’t hide the truth when it came to officially picking a bowl team on Sunday morning. The process begins, he said, with three ts: tickets, travel, and television.
“This is where we start the evaluation process,” Saccenti said.
Television is UCLA’s domain.
“They have a pretty big market,” Saccenti said.
It’s a little closer for tickets and travel between UCLA, Arizona State, Washington State, and OSU. But UCLA and ASU have the advantage that their fans can travel to Las Vegas, while for most Oregon State and WSU fans, it’s a plane trip.
“If you ask the fan base, they all say they travel really well,” Saccenti said. “It really depends on who is on the other side. Are any of these teams getting the other fan base to come to Vegas to see this game? I could imagine some of them doing that. “
Las Vegas considers Purdue, Minnesota, Penn State, and Wisconsin to be its representatives of the Big Ten. If it was Purdue, that would eliminate Oregon State as bowls try to avoid regular season rematches. OSU and Purdue played in the 2021 season opener on September 4th.
Oregon State is rated positively by the Vegas Bowl Committee for having a good fan base to the games in 2003 and 2009. The Beavers appeal to Saccenti because of their offense and an eight-year bowl drought.
“Your fans are probably hungry to go to a bowl game,” Saccenti said.
The Vegas Bowl has a local economic impact of $ 50 million to $ 70 million, Saccenti said. With 155,000 hotel rooms filling up and a slow season at the end of December, drawing 20 to 30,000 fans to Las Vegas is just as important as television ratings.
“You spend an average of three or four nights here. That’s a lot of hotel stays the city is always looking for, ”Saccenti said.
When the committee gathers Tuesday night to figure out his pecking order, Saccenti promises that an OSU berth has its worth. The Arizona State roster is crumbling day by day, and players head to the transfer portal or prepare for the NFL draft. There is no previous relationship with Washington State, which has never played in the Vegas Bowl. UCLA has a home basketball game on the same night as the soccer game. But the Bruins have an electric attack, and of course, all of those TV screens.
“There are many factors to consider,” Saccenti said.
–Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
