From the Department of Nobody Said Life Was Fair.
UCLA, which received a waiver this week to play in a bowl with a 6-7 record, could nudge out San Diego State, which might finish 8-4.
The Bruins play Friday at Oregon in the Pacific 12 title game. Given that the team is a 31-point underdog, it's likely UCLA will finish 6-7.
San Diego State is 7-4 and finishes Saturday with a home game against Fresno State. Three of the team's losses have come against teams ranked in the top 25 (at Michigan, Texas Christian and Boise State). The most damaging loss came at home to Wyoming, which put the Cowboys a notch up on the pecking order for bowl-eligible teams from the Mountain West.
The league has only four contracted bowl games for five eligible teams. As it stands, San Diego State is the odd team out.
Aztec coach Rocky Long said the chances of his team playing in a bowl are "50-50."
"If you catch me at the right time of day, I'm very positive we're going to get one," he told Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "If you catch me at the other part of the day, I'm really disappointed that we're not."
One possibility has San Diego State playing in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against — you guessed it — UCLA. But bowl director Gary Cavalli said the game is dealing with "a dozen or so 'what-if' scenarios."
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