The Pac-12 Championship Game will have a new home in 2020. Commissioner Larry Scott announced that the site of the game will shift from Santa Clara, California to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott announces the conference will hold its 2020 and 2021 championship games in the new stadium in Las Vegas.
— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) July 24, 2019
This is the third different move this decade for the Pac-12 Championship Game. There was no conference championship game until the Pac-10 decided to add Utah and Colorado starting with the 2011 season. The move to 12 teams led to the Pac-12 splitting into North and South divisions, thus necessitating a conference championship game.
From 2011 to 2013, the Pac-12 Championship Game was held on campus sites. Oregon, Stanford, and Arizona State each won the right to host the game by virtue of winning their division, but in 2014, Scott announced that the game would be moved to brand new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The move gave the title game stability and made geographical sense, but tepid attendance has been a problem since its move.
Over the past five years, we have only seen one title game in Santa Clara draw more than 50,000 fans. That was in 2015 when nearby Stanford took on rival USC in the game. Over 58,000 watched as the Cardinal hammered the Trojans 41-22 with Christian McCaffrey running wild.
Attendance in Santa Clara reached its nadir last season, spurring a change. Washington and Utah played a lackluster affair that only drew 35,000 to Santa Clara, and the low attendance was an eyesore in a stadium that seats twice as many people.
The real problem with the game might be when it is played. Six of the eight Pac-12 Championship Games have been played on Friday night instead of on the weekend like most other conference title games.
This move is timed to coincide with the opening of the Oakland Raiders’ new stadium, which is set to be ready for the 2020 season.
H/T The Athletic
