Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Tickets

The UCLA Bruins will take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco on December 31 at 3:30 p.m. (ET)

The actual play on the field is just a minor storyline in this one after coaches from both teams were fired for their disappointing tenures at their respective schools. Both Rick Neuheisal and Ron Zook finished out the regular season, but interim head coaches will take over for the bowl game.

Despite UCLA's up and down season, the team did win its division and reach the Pac-12 championship game. They were promptly trounced by Oregon, but it's pretty rare to see a coach get fired after taking his team to the conference championship game. Ugly losses at Utah and Arizona seemed to seal Neuheisal's fate.

It's a lot easier to understand why Zook was fired. The team won its first six games of the year, something that has happened before. However, the the Illini then lost its final six contests, which certainly didn't sit well with the fanbase.

Both coaches had been on the hot seat for a couple of seasons, so it was somewhat expected that any minor stumbles could result in termination. Which team will respond best to the firing of its head coach and end its season on a positive note?

Prediction: UCLA 26, Illinois 20