2012 bowl projections: UCLA slated to play Nevada in Las Vegas Bowl

With their 43-17 loss to California on Saturday, the UCLA Bruins fell to 1-2 in Pac-12 play. Still, at 4-2, the Bruins are securely included in the latest bowl projections.

The Bruins are slated to play Nevada in the Las Vegas Bowl, according to the latest bowl projections by Jerry Palm of CBS Sports. By slotting them in the Las Vegas Bowl, Palm is projecting UCLA to finish fifth in the Pac-12. The Las Vegas Bowl is a matchup between the No. 1 seed from the Mountain West Conference vs. the No. 5 team from the Pac-12. UCLA is currently eighth in the Pac-12.

If the Bruins were able to play themselves up to the No. 4 seed in the Pac-12, they would play in the Sun Bowl. If they were unable to move up to the No. 5 seed, they could also find themselves in the Kraft Fight Hunger bowl as the Pac-12 No. 6 seed or the New Mexico Bowl as the Pac-12 No. 7 seed.

The Las Vegas Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 22 and will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.