If projections are right, Las Vegas Bowl could have Southern California feel

With the college football bowl matchups set to be announced in 2 ½ weeks, various media outlets are stepping up their predictions the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, which is scheduled for Sam Boyd Stadium on Dec. 19.

If the prognosticators are right, it could be another good matchup for the bowl, which has had a Top 20 ranked team for the past six years.

The bowl is locked into taking either the Mountain West champion or independent BYU to play the No. 6 team from the Pac-12 conference. Both conferences are still muddled, but here's how some outlets see the matchup:

* ESPN's Mark Schlabach: Boise State (7-3 overall, 4-2 Mountain West) vs. UCLA (7-3, 4-3 Pac-12).

* ESPN's Matt McMurphy: San Diego State (7-3, 6-0) vs. UCLA (7-3, 4-3 Pac-12).

* CBS Sports: San Diego State vs. UCLA.

* SB Nation: Air Force (7-3, 5-1) vs. Cal (3-4, 6-4).

* College Sports Madness: BYU (7-3) vs. Washington State (7-3, 5-2).

The consensus: As of this morning, it looks like San Diego State vs. UCLA, a game that would be better played in a neutral site field like, say, Anaheim. One San Diego State loss at Sam Boyd this Saturday against UNLV would throw everything into a tizzy.

Regardless, it looks very likely that the bowl will get two teams with at least eight victories for the third consecutive year.

For the fun of it, it would be entertaining to see BYU vs. Washington State in a battle of Cougars. BYU fans would pack the stands while Washington State coach Mike Leach's unpredictable offense would rival Cirque du Soleil with football acrobatics.

Bill Bradley is Sports Editor of Review-Journal. He can be reached at bbradley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2909. Follow him on Twitter: @billbradleyLV