UCLA Football: 3 bowl game possibilities for the Bruins
By Zach Bigalke
2. Las Vegas Bowl (Sam Boyd Stadium/Las Vegas, Nev. vs. Mountain West)
From a geographic standpoint, Sin City would provide a great opportunity for traveling UCLA fans to see their team fairly close to home. It has now been a decade since the Bruins last played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. If they make it into the Las Vegas Bowl, they would get the chance to take on one of the better Mountain West teams like Boise State or Fresno State.
In their three previous trips to the Las Vegas Bowl, UCLA won only one. That victory came in 2002, when the Bruins took down New Mexico in their first appearance. In their other two chances, UCLA lost twice in close contests. The Bruins fell 24-21 to Wyoming in 2004, then three years later dropped a 17-16 heartbreaker to BYU when Kai Forbath‘s 28-yard field goal try was blocked by Eathyn Manumaleuna on the last play of the game.
A trip to Las Vegas would be a fitting reward for a team that gambled all season long. In 2017, the Bruins went 4-2 in games decided by seven points or less. The Las Vegas Bowl would give UCLA perhaps its best chance to reach seven wins on the season, and against all but the top two Mountain West teams they would be clear favorites.