The 2012 Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl, the 35th edition of the game, was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Baylor Bears from the Big 12 Conference and the UCLA Bruins from the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12), played on December 27, 2012, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.

[3] It also marks the first time one of the Pac-12's Southern California teams has played in the Holiday Bowl.

[4] Baylor is rated 117th in the country in scoring defense, allowing 62 touchdowns, 8 field goals for 458 points.

The Bruins are led by quarterback Brett Hundley and senior running back Johnathan Franklin.

Franklin, the school's all-time leading rusher, has carried the ball 268 times for 1,700 yards and 13 touchdowns.