BYU, Utah, Utah State could all go bowling in 2012, but where?

Given Utah State's proximity to Boise and the need to sell tickets, the Potato Bowl would probably take a long look at choosing the Aggies over Louisiana Tech, even if the No. 20 Bulldogs end up WAC champs. (There's also an outside chance that the Bulldogs could grab a BCS berth, but it's unlikely.)

Who would Utah State play? Bowl ties indicate it would be a team from the Mid-American Conference, where six teams are already bowl eligible. CBS predicts the 9-1 Northern Illinois Huskies would face the Aggies. So does Sports Illustrated.

But ESPN's analysts think Utah State will instead fill an at-large berth in a different bowl, similar to Utah. Mark Schlabach predicts the same matchup against Northern Illinois, but in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Dec. 26. The Aggies would fill an empty Big Ten slot.

His colleague Brad Edwards says the Aggies will head to the Independence bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, to face Louisiana-Monroe, as neither the SEC nor the ACC would be able to furnish bowl-eligible teams to fill the bowl's slots.

In any case, it's a solid bet that Utah State will go bowling somewhere for the second straight year and just the eighth time in the team's history.

Email: lshumway@desnews.com; Twitter: TheShums