California vs. UNLV Prediction & Picks for Tonight: LA Bowl Odds
It's official. The UNLV Rebels are the favorites entering tonight's LA Bowl against the California Golden Bears (9 p.m. ET, ESPN). There was as much line movement in the lead-up to the contest personnel changes on either team.
Wide receivers coach Del Alexander leads the Rebels into battle as the interim coach after former head coach Barry Odom departed for the Purdue job.
While newsworthy, the Rebels' coaching change isn't as significant as the Golden Bears losing Fernando Mendoza and top receiver Nyziah Hunter to the transfer portal.
Our California vs. UNLV prediction is part of our college bowl game predictions, and we're backing the Rebels to win and cover.
Our college football bowl game opt-out tracker has you covered with the latest opt-out news and the impact on the college bowl game odds.
California vs. UNLV updated betting info
As you can see, the line for this game moved five points in the Rebels' favor. UNLV opened as +2.5 underdogs but are the 3-point favorites hours before kickoff.
Most of the money (75%) and bets (77%) are on the the Rebels.
California vs. UNLV prediction & best pick: LA Bowl
College football picks based on the odds from our best college football betting sites. Odds subject to change.
- Against the spread pick: UNLV -1.5 (-115 via FanDuel) vs. California ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- My best pick: Hajj-Malik Williams anytime touchdown scorer (+100 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
California vs. UNLV ATS prediction
UNLV to cover the spread: -1.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best odds: -115 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 53.49%
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UNLV will be without head coach Barry Odom after he accepted the Purdue job. But Odom's protege Mike Scherer should keep the defense intact against a Cal offense that will be searching for answers after its starting quarterback entered the transfer portal.
Cal’s attrition outweighs UNLV’s coaching departure
Francisco Mendoza was a 3,000-plus-yard passer for the 15th-ranked passing offense in the FBS, but now the state of Cal's offense is less certain after his departure into the portal. The Golden Bears produced only 254 yards of total offense while failing to score a touchdown in a 38-6 loss against SMU on Nov. 30 with Chandler Rogers and CJ Harris splitting the quarterback duties.
UNLV stayed afloat after the early-season transfer of QB Matthew Sluka, with the offense arguably getting more dynamic behind dual-threat Hajj-Malik Williams. While the portal hasn't overly impacted Cal's defense, a unit that ranked 82nd in pass defense could struggle to contain Williams on this stage.
California vs. UNLV best pick
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Hajj-Malik Williams anytime touchdown scorer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best odds: +100 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 50.00%
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Though Cal boasts a run defense ranking 14th in the nation in yards per game, we’ve seen mobile quarterbacks like Payton Thorne and Cam Ward find paydirt against the Golden Bears' unit.
As the centerpiece of the offense for our ATS pick, we like Hajj-Malik Williams to get it done in the LA Bowl.
Better than a coin flip?
With BetMGM’s odds at +100, the implied probability of Williams sprinting into the end zone is right at 50%. That makes his anytime touchdown scorer prop a valuable one in our eyes, as Williams has scored at least one rushing touchdown in seven of his 11 games played this season (63.63%).
Cal has allowed 18 rushing touchdowns to only 15 passing touchdowns on the season, and Williams leads the Rebels with nine rushing scores on the year.
California vs. UNLV odds
See all of this week's college football odds and NCAAF scores.
California vs. UNLV live odds
California vs. UNLV opening odds:
- California: -2.5 (-110)
- UNLV: +2.5 (-110)
California vs. UNLV injuries
LA Bowl game info
- When: Wednesday, Dec. 18
- Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
- Where: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
- How to watch: ESPN
- Weather: Indoors
- Favorite: UNLV -1.5 (-115 via FanDuel)
College football betting odds pages
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