UCLA Football Bowl Projections: Week 13
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The Bruins’ season continued to crumble in Week 12, with a 48-45 loss to the Trojans slamming the door shut on their Pac-12 Championship and Rose Bowl hopes.
No. 16 UCLA football (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) will see another dip in the College Football Playoff poll after dropping two consecutive games, and that will hurt the prestige of their postseason destination as well. The Bruins have a chance to end their Pac-12 slate on a high note, though, and reach nine wins for the first time since 2014.
Here is where college football media has UCLA projected to play come bowl season.
ESPN
Las Vegas Bowl, UCLA vs. Missouri
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.
Missouri is currently 5-6 in the 2022 campaign with a 2-5 conference record, needing a victory in Week 13 to secure bowl eligibility. The Tigers defeated New Mexico State in their final nonconference contest of the season, leading them into a matchup with Arkansas that decides their postseason fate.
UCLA and Missouri have played each other three times, but their most recent clash was all the way back in 1966. The Bruins have a 2-0-1 record against the Tigers, winning twice in Los Angeles and tying the game played in Missouri in 1965.
The Las Vegas Bowl could be a full-circle ending for Dorian Thomspon-Robinson’s career in blue and gold. The fifth-year quarterback is from Las Vegas and went to high school at Bishop Gorman (NV).
Pro Football Network
Sun Bowl, UCLA vs. Duke
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.
Duke is currently third in the ACC Coastal division, with a cushion above Miami and Georgia Tech in the standings. The Blue Devils are 7-4 and have a matchup with Wake Forest looming in Week 13.
UCLA and Duke have only played once in their program’s histories. In 1960, the Bruins defeated the Blue Devils by a score of 27-6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Duke is well-represented on UCLA’s active roster and coaching staff. Leading receiver Jake Bobo has his degree from Duke, and defensive lineman Gary Smith III also transferred this past offseason. Tight ends coach Jeff Faris played in Durham from 2008 to 2011 before taking on a coaching role, which he held from 2012 to 2021 until he was hired by coach Chip Kelly in Westwood.
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 yet to be 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 be able to become bowl eligible, but their current five-game winning streak – with wins against Syracuse and Clemson – has the independent program ranked No. 18 in the nation. USC is next on the docket, and the Fighting Irish could play spoiler at the Coliseum.
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.
No. 22 Oklahoma State dropped their rivalry matchup against Oklahoma by a score of 28-13, helping the Sooners become bowl eligible in the process. The Cowboys are currently 4-4 in Big 12 play and sit in fourth place above Baylor and Texas Tech on tiebreakers.
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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