Utah, Nebraska picked for Las Vegas Bowl on New Year's Eve

The scoreboard shows the game logo before the Las Vegas Bowl NCAA college football game between Northwestern and Utah at Allegiant Stadium, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023, in Las Vegas. Photo by: David Becker/AP

The Utah football team is coming back to the Las Vegas Bowl.

The Utes will make their 17th trip to Las Vegas — counting regular-season and postseason appearances — when they take on Nebraska at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on ESPN, bowl officials announced this morning.

Utah (10-2) brings a 4-2 record in the Las Vegas Bowl, tied with Boise State for the most wins in the game’s history. For Nebraska, the matchup represents the program’s first-ever game in the Silver State.

The game marks the first meeting between the schools since 1992. The Cornhuskers hold a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series, with all previous meetings taking place in Lincoln, Neb., dating back to 1968.

This will be just the third Las Vegas Bowl held after Christmas and the first ever on New Year’s Eve.

“This year’s matchup is special not just because it’s a historic date for us on New Year’s Eve, but also because two storied programs get to line up against each other for the first time in 33 years,” said John Saccenti, the executive director of Las Vegas Bowl in a statement.

Utah has three with local ties on the roster in freshmen Christian Thatcher (Arbor View), Sione Motuapuaka (Bishop Gorman) and JJ Buchanan (Coronado). Buchanan has had a strong start to his collegiate career, catching 22 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns.