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A back and forth game at Stanford Stadium ended in heart breaking fashion for No. 17 UCLA Bruins fans as the Stanford Cardinal wrapped up the Pac-12 Championship Friday with a 27-24 win. With the victory, the No. 6 Cardinal will be headed back to Pasadena for the second time in just over a month but not to play the Bruins. Instead, they'll play the Big Ten Champions, the Wisconsin Badgers, in the Rose Bowl.
The loss not only cost the Bruins a trip to the Rose Bowl but also one spot in the BCS rankings. They'll still be playing in the postseason though, earning a trip to San Diego to face the Baylor Bears in the Holiday Bowl. It's already been a great season for the Bruins but the guys at Bruins Nation say this bowl is a must win for head coach Jim Mora.
To be blunt: this is must win game for UCLA, from not only a recruiting stand-point, but to give UCLA's seniors, who have done everything we could have hoped for in their final season for the Blue and Gold one last chance to go out as winners in front of a blue-and-gold home crowd in Southern California.
Both teams will be making their first appearance in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27.