LAS VEGAS >> The Las Vegas Bowl will be played on Dec. 20, a Saturday, for a third consecutive year.

ESPN Regional Television officials announced the 23rd annual game will kick off at 12:30 p.m. PST at Sam Boyd Stadium and televised on ABC.

The matchup will feature a top Mountain West Conference team against the sixth-place finisher in the Pac-12.

Some 42,178 fans watched No. 25 USC defeat No. 20 Fresno State last year, 45-20. It was the seventh sellout in the last nine years and the second-largest crowd in stadium history.

The game is owned and operated by ESPN Events and sponsored by Royal Purple.