Las Vegas ? UCLA can’t imagine losing to New Mexico, a team playing in a bowl game for just the second time in 41 years.

“A team of our caliber, a Pac-10 school, isn’t supposed to lose to a team that’s not on the national scene like us,” defensive back Ricky Manning Jr. said Tuesday.

UCLA (7-5) will take on the Lobos (7-6) of the Mountain West Conference today in the Las Vegas Bowl.

“It’s kind of like we’ve got everything to lose, and for me personally, the thought of losing is terrifying,” Manning said. “It would be a bigger disappointment if we lose than if they lose.”

UCLA is an 11-point favorite in the first meeting between the schools, and Manning said the Bruins don’t want to duplicate Southern Cal’s lackluster performance against Utah — another MWC school — in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl. Utah beat the Trojans 10-6, holding USC to 1-yard rushing and 151 total yards.

“You bet they caught some (criticism) for that,” Manning said.

New Mexico’s bowl history — six games dating to 1939 — includes a win over Western Michigan in 1961 in the Aviation Bowl. The Lobos didn’t play in the postseason again until 1997, when they lost to Arizona in the Insight.com Bowl.

“Two bowl games in 41 years, we’re not used to press conferences,” coach Rocky Long said. “We’re the underdogs no matter who we play.”

Long took over the New Mexico program from Dennis Franchione, who left for TCU after leading the Lobos to the bowl game in Tucson in 1997. The Lobos were 12-23 in Long’s first three seasons before going 6-5 last year. This year they started 2-4, then won five of the last seven games.

UCLA’s 7-5 season and the bid to the Las Vegas Bowl wasn’t enough to save coach Bob Toledo’s job. The school replaced Toledo with Denver Broncos aide and former UCLA player Karl Dorrell. But Dorrell won’t take over until after the bowl game.

Ed Kezirian, the assistant director of academic services and Toledo’s assistants are in charge today.