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Utah football: Athletic director Chris Hill, Vegas Bowl exec discuss unprecedented ticket demand

The Las Vegas Bowl did not negotiate with bowls higher in the Pac-12 selection order to pit Utah against BYU, said executive director John Saccenti, surrounded by Utah's past bowl trophies at Utah's football facility Thursday.

In fact, he said, "We didn't want to go the route of having a return team."

The Holiday Bowl chose USC, he said, because it couldn't resist the draw of a USC-Wisconsin matchup. The Sun Bowl liked the idea of Mike Leach's return to West Texas. Vegas' hand was forced.

Still, Saccenti admitted, the rivalry element has made it a "home run" for his game.