Bowl projections 2012: Arizona State slotted for Pinstripe Bowl, Arizona for New Mexico Bowl

The Arizona State Sun Devils, 5-1 this year and 3-0 in Pac-12 conference play, are coming off a 51-17 throttling of the Colorado Buffaloes. Though Arizona State was not ranked in this season's initial BCS rankings, there is still time for the team to climb into the BCS Top 20.

In the meantime, Jerry Palm of CBS Sports is projecting the Sun Devils as participants in the Pinstripe Bowl, played Dec. 29 in New York City. The game traditionally pits the Big 12's No. 7 team against the Big East's No. 4, but Palm currently sees one or both of those conferences as unable to fill their bowl bids, and Arizona State would be a replacement selection.

Palm also projects Arizona (3-3, 0-3 Pac-12) to play in a bowl game, the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 15 in Albuquerque. That game matches the MWC No. 4/5 team against the Pac-12's No. 7 team (or a WAC club). The Wildcats' projected opponent, as long as they can remain bowl-eligible, is San Diego State.