Cal vs. UNLV, 8 a.m. ET

PublishedDecember 18, 2024, 10:52 am EST|UpdatedDecember 18, 2024, 10:52 am EST

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Cal vs. UNLV, 8 a.m. ET

One of the more difficult things about betting on college football is getting news about the players. There are too many teams to cover it and you have to really dig deep – sometimes even checking the X-feeds of journalism students to see if they have any information. Those days aren’t as common these days, as most teams in bowl games are covered well enough that you should know who’s in and who’s out. The Art of Sport LA Bowl takes place tonight as Cal battles UNLV.

Cal hasn’t had a very impressive season this year, going just 6-6, but they still made it into this game. It’s not exactly an exciting bowl, but still, getting an extra game should be every football team’s goal. Earlier in the year, they went through UC Davis, got an impressive win on the road over Auburn, and then beat San Diego State. Then their schedule became significantly more difficult as they faced Florida State, Miami, Pittsburgh and NC State. Florida State was supposed to be a good team this season, but this year they failed to live up to expectations. Miami and Pittsburgh were both ranked when Cal played them, and they put up a good fight, both losing by a total of three points. They lost to Syracuse and then lost to SMU by 32 points in their final regular season game. Cal will be missing a few players due to injury and entering the transfer portal. Specifically, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who led the team in passing in 11 games, will not be there.

SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 25: California Golden Bears helmet during a college football game between the California Golden Bears and the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on September 25, 2021 in Seattle, WA. (Photo by Jacob Snow/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

UNLV has put together a very nice campaign this season, but they don’t come into this game without problems. They lost their head coach and their offensive coordinator for this game, so one has to wonder what the consistency will be in this game. UNLV only lost three games this season. The first was at home against Syracuse, against whom they lost in overtime. The second game was against Boise State where they lost the game by five points. The third loss also came against Boise State when they lost in the Mountain West Championship game. Again, it’s not a bad season, but it’s hard to win without two of the most important people on your coaching staff. I don’t see too much concern with players sitting this one out for the Rebels, especially players of Mendoza’s caliber.

The line in this game is a little off my radar for a team here, but I think UNLV should still win this game by five or more points. I would be surprised if Cal covers, but I like the under 46 in this game. The reason for this is mainly that without Mendoza, the Cal offense will struggle against a good UNLV defense, and without the offensive coordinator and head coach, things will change a bit for UNLV, so I’ll bet on under 46 in this game.

For more sports betting information and games, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024