UCLA Football Bowl Projections: Week 12
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The Bruins fell to Arizona in a possible season-defining loss in Week 11, so the blue and gold are likely going to need to defeat USC on Saturday to keep high-profile bowl destinations in the cards.
No. 12 UCLA football (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) is going to drop in Week 12’s College Football Playoff ranking, potentially robbing them of a spot in a New Year's Six bowl down the line. Once set for a Pac-12 Championship berth or the Rose Bowl, the Bruins will have to win out and have a few extra results go their way to make it to either event.
Here is where college football media has UCLA projected to play come bowl season.
ESPN
Sun Bowl, UCLA vs. Louisville
El Paso, TX
Dec. 30, 11:00 a.m.
The Sun Bowl matches up the fifth-choice available team from the Pac-12 and an opponent from the ACC that finishes between the fourth and eighth place in the conference.
Louisville currently stands at 6-4 with a 3-4 ACC record – good enough for fifth place in the Atlantic division. The Cardinals fell to No. 9 Clemson in Week 11, but in their previous two contests, they beat James Madison and Wake Forest, who were both ranked in the AP Top 25 this season.
UCLA and Louisville have never faced each other on the gridiron, but the Bruins and Cardinals have battled on the hardwood 22 times. However, the programs have not competed in basketball since 1999.
The Bruins have gone to the Sun Bowl four times – first in 1991 and most recently in 2013 – and are 3-1 in the game.
Pro Football Network
Las Vegas Bowl, UCLA vs. South Carolina
Las Vegas, NV
Dec. 17, 4:30 p.m.
The Las Vegas Bowl matches up a team from the Pac-12 and – for the first time since 2000 – a program from the SEC.
South Carolina is currently fifth in the SEC East, just behind Kentucky and Florida due to tiebreakers. The Gamecocks fell to Florida by 32 points in Week 11, and have a tough road ahead, finishing their season with games against Tennessee and Clemson.
UCLA and South Carolina have never played each other before. The Bruins’ most recent matchup with an SEC team was in 2021, when they defeated LSU at the Rose Bowl in a Week 1 upset.
The Las Vegas Bowl has hosted UCLA three times, and the Bruins have only won once. Losing to Wyoming and BYU in 2004 and 2007, respectively, the blue and gold’s only victory came in 2002 against New Mexico.
Yahoo
Holiday Bowl, UCLA vs. Notre Dame
San Diego, CA
Dec. 28, TBA
The Holiday Bowl pairs teams from the Pac-12 and ACC, but the game itself has not been played since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UCLA was selected to participate to face North Carolina State in the 2021 edition of the event, but had to drop out due to positive COVID-19 cases and additional exposures just hours before kickoff.
Notre Dame has had an up-and-down season so far. Losses against Marshall and Stanford made it seem unlikely the Fighting Irish would even become bowl eligible, but their current four-game winning streak – with wins against Syracuse and Clemson – has the independent program ranked No. 18 in the nation.
UCLA and Notre Dame have played four times, and the Bruins dropped all four matchups. Most recently, in 2007, the Fighting Irish visited the Rose Bowl and came away with a 20-6 victory.
Walk-on quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson had to jump into that game after injuries to Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan left the Bruins without a scholarship player under center. UCLA struggled to get points on the board, opening the door for an 0-5 Notre Dame team to win their first game of the season.
Sports Illustrated
Alamo Bowl, UCLA vs. Oklahoma State
San Antonio, TX
Dec. 29, 6:00 p.m.
The Alamo Bowl matches up the second-choice teams from the Pac-12 and the Big 12.
Oklahoma State is back to its winning ways after defeating Iowa State by a score of 20-14, The Cowboys were shut out by Kansas State in Week 9 and lost to Kansas 37-16 in Week 10, but their Week 11 victory brings them back to 7-3 and third place in the Big 12.
UCLA and Oklahoma State have a brief history between their football programs, meeting for a home-and-home in 2002 and 2004. The Bruins and Cowboys split the two games, with Cory Paus leading the Bruins to a 38-24 victory in the 2002 matchup while throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns.
However, the two sides have not faced off since then.
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