UNLV vs. Ohio prediction, picks: Odds, best bet for Scooters Coffee Frisco Bowl

It’ll be a tale of two head coaches for Tuesday night’s Scooters Coffee Frisco Bowl between G5 standouts, the UNLV Rebels and Ohio Bobcats.

Former Florida coach Dan Mullen took over for the Mountain West powerhouse Rebels last December, and in one season, he’s led them to 10 wins and an appearance in the MWC championship game.

The Ohio head coaching situation has garnered headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Former head coach Brian Smith, who took over for Tim Albin, led the team to an 8-4 campaign but was suddenly placed on leave in early December and then later fired for “professional misconduct.”

Now, new interim head coach John Hauser and the Bobcats are entering this bowl contest as near-touchdown underdogs to UNLV, per FanDuel.

Scooters Coffee Frisco Bowl: UNLV vs. Ohio prediction, best bets

Mullen and the Rebels have serious offensive firepower, with their 35.8 points and 453.2 yards per game marks ranking 14th in the nation.

Anthony Colandrea came into his own under offensive coordinator Corey Dennis’ “Go-Go offense,” which usually features two running backs and many read-option-based looks.

The Virginia transfer earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors by totaling career-highs across the board with 23 passing touchdowns and 3,375 yards through the air.

2025 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, UNLV’s Anthony Colandrea. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Rebels lead tailback Jai’Den Thomas is 15 yards shy of cracking 1,000 on the year; his 7.2 yards per rush rank sixth-best.

UNLV’s offense is a handful, and they score when it matters, too, ranking fifth in college football with a 94.12 red-zone scoring percentage.

Despite its scoring prowess, UNLV’s defense remains a work in progress, and that unit’s performance will be key to whether or not the Rebels win this one comfortably.

Ohio head coach Brian Smith was fired on December 17th. AP

Ohio’s Parker Navarro has bowl game experience and, like Colandrea, can use his legs to make plays.

Last season, he torched Jacksonville State for three first-half touchdowns, finishing with 111 yards rushing as the Bobcats won the 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl.

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Sieh Bangura is a highly underrated running back who totaled 1,243 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The Rebels rank 131st in EPA per rush, as this one-two combination could keep Ohio within striking distance all game.

As much as I would like to give the Bobcats’ six-game bowl winning streak some consideration, Smith’s departure was abrupt, and the team has not played since Nov. 28.

That type of layover, combined with a ton of off-field chatter, has left them ill-equipped to tackle such a strong opponent as UNLV.

However, both teams like to run the ball and execute splash plays, which makes the first half over appealing.

The Plays: UNLV moneyline (-245, FanDuel) | 1H Total 33.5 Over (-115, BetMGM)

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