Bowl Projections: Oregon To Rose, UCLA To Kraft Fight Hunger

It looks as if things are all fixed for the Pac-12 when it comes to bowl tie-ins. If the UCLA Bruins are picked with regards to a bowl bid, we should have seven conference teams and two BCS squads.

If only the USC Trojans weren't bowl ineligible. All the Pac-12 bowls would have been filled up! Here are your next-to-last projections.

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl, December 22, 2011, 5 PM PT/8 PM ET, ESPN

Pac-12 representative (fourth pick among non-BCS bowls): Arizona St. Sun Devils. ASU has stumbled to the finish line and are currently the last team with a non-losing record in the Pac-12, and given the sad way they ended the season, they will likely be picked last among all those teams.

Opponent: ASU would likely face the Boise St. Broncos, since they travel better compared to the TCU Horned Frogs.

Holiday Bowl, December 28, 2011, 5 PM PT/8 PM ET, ESPN

Pac-12 representative (second pick among non-BCS bowls): California Golden Bears. Cal is going to cap off a nice finish to the season with a return to San Diego. It'll be the third trip for Jeff Tedford and the Bears to the Holiday, where they can face a number of teams.

Opponent: Hard to guess, but I'd think the loser of the Texas-Baylor game. Obviously teams don't have to be selected in order, but I'm sure the Holiday (and perhaps some Cal fans) will be rooting hard for Robert Griffin III to get their chance at the Longhorns.

Alamo Bowl, December 29, 2011, 6 PM PT/9 PM ET, ESPN

Pac-12 representative (first pick among non-BCS bowls): Washington Huskies. Not often that you'll see UW rooting for Oregon, but the victory by the Ducks all but assures their bitter rivals end up in the best bowl available to them. Washington looked like the fourth best team in the conference for much of this season and they'll be rewarded with a marquee matchup.

Opponent: This one's a total mystery, but I'd have to guess the Alamo will go with whoever ends up losing the Bedlam game since the Cotton Bowl seems very interested in Kansas State. So either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, which just has to thrill Nick Holt right to the spittle dripping down his chin.

Sun Bowl, December 31, 2011, 11 AM PT/2 PM ET, CBS

Pac-12 representative (third pick among non-BCS bowls): Utah Utes. Utah finished with a 7-5 season like Cal and Washington, but their fanbase and TV market is smaller than both of these traditional Pac-10 powers, so they'll probably end up in El Paso.

Opponent: Georgia Tech. The Sun Bowl director wants them, so he'll get them.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, December 31, 2011, 12:30 PM PT/3:30 PM ET, ESPN

Pac-12 representative (sixth pick among non-BCS bowls): UCLA Bruins. Because UCLA's bowl waiver was granted by the NCAA, the 6-7 Bruins are going to knock a winning team like Florida International or Western Kentucky out of the race.

Opponent: Illinois. The Big Ten has ten bowl-eligible teams, and eight available bowl games. If MIchigan gets selected as an at-large, that leaves only the collapsing Fighting Illini as their only remaining tie-in.

Rose Bowl, January 2, 2012, 2 PM PT/5 PM ET, ESPN

Pac-12 representative: Oregon Ducks. Clinched when Oregon beat UCLA in the Pac-12 title game.

Opponent: Big 10 championship winner between the Michigan St. Spartans and the Wisconsin Badgers. Oregon has their choice of the bruising power of the Wisconsin offense or the robust Michigan State defense. Either matchup should present a great challenge for the Ducks, who will be gearing to try and end their BCS bowl skid.

Fiesta Bowl, January 2, 2012, 5:30 PM PT/8:30 PM ET, ESPN

Pac-12 representative: Stanford Cardinal. Currently #4 in the BCS rankings, they'd be guaranteed a BCS bowl if they finish there. Only a Virginia Tech smashing of Clemson would keep Stanford out of the top four.

Opponent: Big 12 title winner, which will be decided in Bedlam when the Oklahoma Sooners take on the Oklahoma St. Cowboys. Either game would figure to be a grand shootout, although the sexier matchup would almost certainly be with the upstart Cowboys rather than the beaten up Sooners.