Utah -6.5 (-110) over Northwestern
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- Utah’s defense has dominated all season long and should continue to do so against an anemic Northwestern offense.
- Bryson Barnes is in the transfer portal for Utah, but they have proven all year they can win with backup quarterbacks and with their defense.
When it comes to places to visit in America, it is hard to beat Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. That applies to the participants in this year’s Las Vegas Bowl as well, as the high-level college football players who reach this game get to enjoy both an extra game as well as a trip to Vegas. Here, we break down this cornerstone of the college football bowl schedule, both for this year’s game and historically as well.
2023 Las Vegas Bowl Analysis
This year’s Las Vegas Bowl should be all about the two defenses taking part in the game. The Utah Utes have been one of the best defensive teams in college football for many years running. Meanwhile, the Northwestern Wildcats hang their hats on that side of the ball themselves. As a result, we should have a tight and low-scoring matchup between these two power conference opponents.
Worth monitoring ahead of this game is the quarterback situation for Utah. Utes quarterback Bryson Barnes is in the transfer portal after he played all season in relief of the injured Cameron Rising. Without Barnes, offense will be more of a challenge than usual for the Utes, but their defense is more than capable of making up for any issues they have moving the ball.
Las Vegas Bowl History
The Las Vegas Bowl has been around since the early 1990s, with the first edition of the game taking place in 1992. This contest has tie-ins with the Pac-12, SEC, and Big Ten, making it a Power 5 conference contest that typically generates plenty of attention. It used to take place at Sam Boyd Stadium at UNLV, but has since been moved to Allegiant Stadium after that venue was built to house the Las Vegas Raiders. Below is a list of all the previous editions of the game, along with the winners and losers of each.
| Year | Winner | Runners-Up |
| 1992 | Bowling Green | Nevada |
| 1993 | Utah State | Ball State |
| 1994 | UNLV | Central Michigan |
| 1995 | Toledo | Nevada |
| 1996 | Nevada | Ball State |
| 1997 | Oregon | Air Force |
| 1998 | North Carolina | San Diego State |
| 1999 | Utah | Fresno State |
| 2000 | UNLV | Arkansas |
| 2001 | Utah | USC |
| 2002 | UCLA | New Mexico |
| 2003 | Oregon State | New Mexico |
| 2004 | Wyoming | UCLA |
| 2005 | California | BYU |
| 2006 | BYU | Oregon |
| 2007 | BYU | UCLA |
| 2008 | Arizona | BYU |
| 2009 | BYU | Oregon State |
| 2010 | Boise State | Utah |
| 2011 | Boise State | Arizona State |
| 2012 | Boise State | Washington |
| 2013 | USC | Fresno State |
| 2014 | Utah | Colorado State |
| 2015 | Utah | BYU |
| 2016 | San Diego State | Houston |
| 2017 | Boise State | Oregon |
| 2018 | Fresno State | Arizona State |
| 2019 | Washington | Boise State |
| 2021 | Wisconsin | Arizona State |
| 2022 | Oregon State | Florida |
Bowl Game MVPs
The list of previous Las Vegas Bowl MVPs is an interesting one, featuring many players who went on to become pros. But whether or not a player went on to an exciting career in the pros, the players on this list all lit it up under the bright lights in Las Vegas. Below is a full list of the MVPs in the previous editions of the Las Vegas Bowl.
| Year | MVP | Team |
| 1992 | Erik White | Bowling Green |
| 1993 | Anthony Calvillo | Utah State |
| 1994 | Henry Bailey | UNLV |
| 1995 | Wasean Tait | Toledo |
| 1996 | Mike Crawford | Nevada |
| 1997 | Pat Johnson | Oregon |
| 1998 | Ronald Curry | North Carolina |
| 1999 | Mike Anderson | Utah |
| 2000 | Jason Thomas | UNLV |
| 2001 | Dameon Hunter | Utah |
| 2002 | Craig Bragg | UCLA |
| 2003 | Steven Jackson | Oregon State |
| 2004 | Corey Bramlet | Wyoming |
| 2005 | Marshawn Lynch | California |
| 2006 | Jonny Harline | BYU |
| 2007 | Austin Collie | BYU |
| 2008 | Willie Tuitama | Arizona |
| 2009 | Max Hall | BYU |
| 2010 | Kellen Moore | Boise State |
| 2011 | Doug Martin | Boise State |
| 2012 | Bishop Sankey | Washington |
| 2013 | Cody Kessler | USC |
| 2014 | Travis Wilson | Utah |
| 2015 | Tevin Carter | Utah |
| 2016 | Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State |
| 2017 | Cedrick Wilson Jr. | Boise State |
| 2018 | Ronnie Rivers | Fresno State |
| 2019 | Elijah Molden | Washington |
| 2021 | Braelon Allen | Wisconsin |
| 2022 | Ben Gulbranson | Oregon State |
