PROVO — What had been speculated for weeks became official Sunday afternoon when the Las Vegas Bowl invited BYU to play in the Dec. 20 game at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The No. 17 Cougars (10-2), who are making their fourth consecutive trip to the Las Vegas Bowl, will face a somewhat familiar opponent, Arizona (7-5).
ESPN will televise the game at 6 p.m. (MT).
"We have enjoyed our previous experiences in Las Vegas and look forward to competing in our fourth straight bowl game," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said in a statement. "Our focus will be on playing to our potential and improving our football program."
The Wildcats, who finished fifth in the Pac-10 standings, rallied from a 10-7 halftime deficit to knock off arch-rival Arizona State, 31-10, on Saturday to clinch their first bowl berth since the 1998 Holiday Bowl and their first winning season since that same '98 season.
The Las Vegas Bowl, which has the No. 1 choice of available Mountain West Conference teams, selected BYU, which finished third in the Mountain West Conference,
over second-place TCU (10-2). The Horned Frogs will take on undefeated Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Bowl has the No. 4 choice out of the Pac-10 but selected Arizona over No. 4 Cal, which will play in the San Francisco-based Emerald Bowl.
BYU and Arizona, who were WAC rivals decades ago, have met in each of the previous two seasons, splitting the two games. The Wildcats won the 2006 season-opener in Tucson, 16-13, while the Cougars claimed the 2007 season-opener in Provo, 20-7.
While BYU and Arizona have never played each other in a bowl game, the Las Vegas Bowl will mark the 22nd meeting between the two programs in a series that started in 1936. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 11-9-1.
This year's Las Vegas Bowl could be a high-scoring affair as the Cougars average 35.3 points per game (No. 19 in the nation) compared to Arizona's 37.1 average (No. 16 in the country).
"We look forward to showcasing two of the highest-scoring offenses in college football going against each other in front of a sold-out crowd on December 20th," said Las Vegas Bowl executive director Tina Kunzer-Murphy. "BYU has proved to not only be extremely popular in our community but also a top-notch competitor in our game under head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
"On the other side, we congratulate head coach Mike Stoops and his Wildcats team for winning their way into the bowl. Our executive committee is ecstatic to be hosting Arizona in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl for the first time."
In the Wildcats' win over Arizona State on Saturday, Mike Thomas had a 52-yard punt return for a score while Nic Grigsby rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Willie Tuitama threw for 284 yards and two scores.
Afterward, Arizona students stormed the field to celebrate the first victory over ASU since 2004.
BYU hasn't played since Nov. 22, when they fell to arch-rival Utah, 48-24.
"The Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl has been very good to BYU. We love coming to Las Vegas and playing in one of the best bowl games around," said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe. "We are excited about our football team and the great things it has accomplished over the past four seasons under coach Mendenhall and his staff. The program has achieved three straight 10-win regular seasons and received its fourth straight bowl invitation. The coaching staff and the players deserve a tremendous amount of credit for what they have accomplished."
After a decade-long bowl drought, Arizona is thrilled to be Las Vegas-bound.
"We're more than pleased to renew our postseason football participation with a visit to the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl," said Wildcat AD Jim Livengood. "It's a wonderful destination for our fans, there's a connection with our basketball team in the city on the same day (Arizona plays at UNLV at noon on Dec. 20) and it's just great to be back in this kind of situation."
Arizona will play in the state of Nevada for the first time since traveling to Reno in 1924.
"We are extremely excited to participate in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl. It is a great opportunity for us to celebrate a successful year and give our outstanding seniors one more game to play as Wildcats," said Stoops. "This opportunity means a whole lot to our football program because of the hard work we have put in this season and in our previous seasons. We expect to have a great following of Wildcat fans to Las Vegas to see an excellent matchup against a very good BYU football team."
The MWC and Pac-10 have met in the past six Las Vegas Bowls, with the MWC holding a 4-2 advantage.
Las Vegas Bowl
BYU (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5)
December 20, 6 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com