UCLA to play Boise State in LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium; USC set to play Louisville in Holiday Bowl at Petco Park
After fighting to winning seasons, UCLA and USC will remain in SoCal for bowl season, with the Bruins slated to play in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium, while USC heads to the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park in San Diego.
Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk: UCLA v. Boise State
The UCLA Bruins, who finished the season 7-5, will stay close to home and play the Boise State Broncos in the third edition of the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk on Dec. 16.
The Bruins finished fifth overall in their final year of Pac-12 Conference play, while the Broncos finished the year 8-5 overall and 6-2 in Mountain West Conference play, storming to a 44-20 victory over the University of Nevada at Las Vegas in the championship game on Saturday.
It's UCLA's third-straight season of earning a spot in a bowl game. Last season they fell in an extremely close Sun Bowl matchup against the University of Pittsburgh, 37-35. Their 2021 matchup in the Holiday Bowl was canceled for reasons related to COVID-19.
The LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk, formerly called the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, will largely feature former NFL star Rob Gronkowski, who played 11 seasons and won four Super Bowls.
DIRECTV Holiday Bowl at Petco Park: USC v. Louisville
After they were slated to fight for contention in the College Football Playoff, starting the year 6-0, the USC Trojans experienced a severe downfall in their season, finishing just 7-5.
As such, they are slated to face-off with the Louisville Cardinals in the 44th edition of the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park in San Diego, home of the San Diego Padres, on Dec. 27.
The No. 16 ranked Cardinals finished the year 10-3, but fell to Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game on Saturday, 16-6.
It will be the first ever matchup between the two schools when it comes to football.
USC has previously played in three Holiday Bowl games winning in 2014 against Nebraska but losing in 2015 and 2019.