The 2025 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl is about as fish-out-of-water as these bowl things can get – there’s no Texas-based team here.That might not be the worst thing. The last time the bowl game matched up the MAC and the Mountain West, Kent State beat Utah State 51-41 in an insane 2021 firefight with 1,056 yards. This won’t be that, but it will be interesting.Ohio is without head coach Brian Smith, who’s on a mysterious leave from the team. At the moment, top assistant John Hauser will take over for a program that’s won its last six bowl games going back to 2016.
UNLV vs Ohio: 2025 Scooters Coffee Frisco Bowl Preview and Pick
This is UNLV’s third bowl game in a row and just the seventh in its 48-year history. It won the LA Bowl last year, came up with its third double-digit winning season ever this year under new head coach Dan Mullen, and technically, he can be the only Rebel head man to win 11 games in a year.Barry Odom left before the bowl game last season, and the 1984 season under Harvey Hyde doesn’t count because of NCAA issues. No matter what, for a program that has just 14 winning seasons, coming up with 22 wins the last two years would be a massive deal.
How To Watch UNLV vs Ohio
Date: Tuesday, December 23Game Time: 9:00 pm ETTV: ESPNLocation: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX@PeteFiutak- Bowl Schedule, Predictions, Lines- All 41 Bowl First Thoughts Picks – What to Know About All 84 Bowl Teams
Why Ohio Will Win
Run and keep running.Running back Sieh Bangura was Ohio for three years, left for Minnesota, and came back to Athens and carried the workload this season. He ran for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns, as part of the ninth-best rushing attack in the nation. Quarterback Parker Navarro is a baller who can take off, the line is terrific, and UNLV probably can’t handle any of it.
UNLV doesn’t mean to treat defense like something to pass the time until the offense can get back on the field, but that’s how it occasionally seems.Ohio averaged over five yards per carry, UNLV gives up over five yards per carry, and there won’t be any variance to this. However …
Why UNLV Will Win
Yes, Ohio ran all over Rutgers way back in August. But for the most part, the Bobcat attack worked against teams like Gardner-Webb, UMass, Buffalo – the pro version wouldn’t be stopping the Ohio run game at the moment, either – and Bowling Green.Keep the Bobcats to under 230 yards on the ground, make Navarro become a passer, and the Rebels will take it.No, the UNLV run defense isn’t a wall, but Air Force and Boise State are the only two teams able to run for more than 200 against it.
UNLV can run a little bit, too. It’s a balanced offense that moves fast, scores fast, and can answer fast. Its skill is not letting the other side get any momentum.There are only three losses this year. One was to a strong New Mexico team, and the other two were against Boise State. In all three games, the offense worked just fine. The problem was the defense that gave up way over 1,100 yards of Boise State offense and didn’t have a prayer against the Lobo passing game. Ohio has pop, but it doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with this. However …
UNLV vs Ohio Prediction, Betting Lines
There’s still fallout to come from Brian Smith not being around as the Ohio head coach. No speculation whatsoever on this, but it’s been an odd situation in the way this has all been sort of quiet – Ohio University isn’t talking.The Bobcats will keep it simple. The offense should run wild, but UNLV’s offense will be relentless. Both teams are great on third downs, and they love to control games at their own respective tempos.Be made it this doesn’t blow past 800 yards of combined offense, with UNLV taking over in the second half against an Ohio defense that won’t get into the backfield…