UNLV head coach Dan Mullen had to rebuild the Rebels’ roster this year after it was gutted by the transfer portal when former coach Barry Odom left for Purdue.
Mullen and his staff took a roster full of Power Four cast-offs and a few FCS transfers and turned in one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Rebels won double-digit games for the fourth time in program history and made their third straight appearance in the Mountain West Championship.
“Nobody knew each other last January, and this team came together to compete for a championship,” said Mullen, whose team fell to Boise State 38-21 in the title game on Dec. 5. “I’m proud of the effort our guys gave since last January in what we’ve tried to do, what we’ve tried to build and how we’ve played together.”
UNLV (10-3, 6-2 Mountain West) is also playing in its third consecutive bowl game for the first time in program history. The Rebels will try to continue their winning ways against Ohio in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on Tuesday. They’ve won 11 or more games just three times in program history: 1974 (12-1), 2024 (11-3), and 1984 (11-2).
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Ohio is no stranger to bowl wins. The Bobcats (8-4, 6-2 MAC) are playing in a bowl for the fourth straight season, and they’ve won the last six bowls they played in, dating back to 2017. They’ve had to battle more distractions than usual this year after former head coach Brian Smith was fired earlier this month for allegedly having a romantic relationship with a student and violating school policies on alcohol. Defensive coordinator John Hauser is Ohio’s interim coach.
The good news for Ohio and UNLV is their rosters look to be mostly intact, which is a rarity in bowl season these days with so many players opting to sit out while waiting for the transfer portal to open or because they’re preparing for the NFL Draft.
Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro posted his second 2,000-yard passing season this year with 2,232 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air. He also added 843 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. First-team All-MAC running back Sieh Bangura leads the team with 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, and wide receiver Chase Hendricks is No. 2 in the MAC with 67 catches for 950 yards.
UNLV is led at quarterback by Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year Anthony Colandrea, who leads the conference with 3,275 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air. Running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas leads the team with 985 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Colandrea is No. 2 on the team with 621 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
UNLV vs. Ohio Betting Odds
UNLV is a 6.5-point college football betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 65.5 points. The moneyline is at -250 for the Rebels and +200 for Ohio.
The Rebels and Bobcats are playing for just the second time. UNLV won the first meeting 26-18 in 1988.
UNLV vs Ohio On TV
The Frisco Bowl featuring UNLV and Ohio in The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, will be televised on ESPN. The game was moved to the Dallas Cowboys’ 12,000-seat facility because Toyota Stadium is under construction.
Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
UNLV vs. Ohio Prediction
I predict UNLV wins 35-31, but I don’t think the Rebels will cover the spread against an offense averaging 416.7 yards a game.
UNLV’s offense leads the Mountain West with 459 yards a game, but its porous defense is giving up 424.4 yards and 28.8 points per contest, both of which rank near the bottom of the conference. Ohio is giving up 22.9 points a game.
I think Colandrea and Thomas will light up the scoreboard, but the Rebels’ defense has to find a way to keep Navarro in the pocket and it may need to force a couple of turnovers if UNLV is going to end the season with a win.
