Against The UNLV Rebels "Ohio Has An Advantage At The Line Of Scrimmage"

The UNLV Rebels are set to play the 2025 Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl in Texas against the Ohio Bobcats tonight on ESPN. The final predictions are rolling and they are beginning to skew towards Ohio, much like they did towards the Boise State Broncos as we got closer to the Mountain West Championship Game. However, this is a much more volatile situation in a game that the Rebels are the favorites in. The latest prediction we are covering comes from the Action Network Staff over at Action Network.

Action Network On The 2025 Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl: UNLV Rebels Vs Ohio Bobcats

"Ohio head coach Brian Smith was fired for cause after being mysteriously put on leave after Thanksgiving. Quarterback Parker Navarro is also in a legal dispute with the NCAA to fight for an extra year of eligibility. Noise around the Ohio program bumped the point spread up from UNLV -4.5 to -6.5. The total opened at 62.5 and grew to 65.5. For bowl confidence pools, Ohio is an intriguing contrarian pick, considering 90% of entries side with UNLV in this game. It’s a riskier selection, but one that could help gain ground if you’re falling behind. With a high point total, there’s a high amount of variance projected in this game.

Ohio has an advantage at the line of scrimmage and matches UNLV’s prowess on the ground. Historically, this is a very disciplined program that can withstand the noise surrounding head coach Brian Smith's firing. Last year, there was noise surrounding head coach Tim Albin, who left the program before the bowl to take the Charlotte job. Navarro will also play in this game and likely won’t get a ruling from the NCAA until later this winter. That means this could be the last time we see the athletic dual-threat in an Ohio uniform.

For bowls, finding these “last chance” veteran quarterbacks is usually a good team to get behind. Bowls have varying levels of importance to programs. For MAC programs like Ohio, bowls are a symbol of pride and are displayed prominently at recruiting facilities. UNLV showed plenty of buy-in for their bowl games under previous head coach Barry Odom, but current head coach Dan Mullen has coached in games with much higher stakes. Coming from the SEC, Mullen’s top priority in Las Vegas is conference championships.

Pick: Ohio +6.5 or Better"

When it comes to the betting sites, it's sometimes hard to tell who they actually think is going to be. However, if you want to know what we think, you can check out our UNLV Rebels On SI official prediction right here.

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