There is more in Las Vegas than just football

LAS VEGAS — Cougar fans are no strangers to Las Vegas and this bowl city, which has been affectionately named LaVell Edwards Stadium South after busting all attendance records for the Las Vegas Bowl last year.

By some estimates, more than 80 percent of the sellout crowd for Saturday's matchup at in Sam Boyd Stadium between BYU and UCLA, will be rooting for the Mountain West Conference champion.

Las Vegas is central to Southern California, Utah and Arizona, where the biggest population of BYU faithful in the country reside.

Aside from sightseeing at Hoover Dam, hitting the buffet lines, choosing a show or hitting the golf links, BYU fans have found plenty to do in this entertainment capital of the world — without digesting casino life.

Tonight, both UCLA and BYU teams and coaches will gather at the ESPN Zone, part of the New York, New York Hotel on the famed Las Vegas Strip. There, both teams will be entertained, dined, and introduced. The entertainment includes a lot of video game play — on the house for players.

The kickoff luncheon (ticket purchase required) is open to the public and features both teams and coaches in the Las Vegas Convention Center from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday. A cheer clinic is planned for the public at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 4 to 6 p.m.

While Larry the Cable Guy just finished a weekend performance at The Orleans, Johnny Mathis Holiday Show is scheduled Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Hilton. A Holiday Festival Freemont Street Experience is planned through Saturday with a special Las Vegas Bowl Pep Rally and Buffet Bowl on Thursday night on Freemont Street. The Las Vegas Classic Basketball Tournament is going on in The Orleans Saturday.

For shoppers finishing their Christmas lists, there are more than 130 outlet stores in the Las Vegas Outlet Center, located at 7400 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

The Rio buffet is generally a favorite of BYU athletes and features a wide variety of ethnic food. If you are a sports game junkee, the best sports TV centers to watch NBA, NCAA Basketball and other events are at Caesars Palace, the MGM Grande, Mirage, Palms and Wynn.

The Titanic Artifact Exhibition is going on at the Tropicana Resort and Casino. There are other interesting and educational exhibits located at the Atomic Testing Museum, offering more than 370,000 declassified documents and photos with five different movie venues and interactive computers and artifacts. The Liberace Museum, Lied Discovery Children's Museum and Nevada State Museum are also possible stops.