Although only 565 miles separate the two campuses, tonight’s Art of Sport LA Bowl will feature the second-ever matchup between the Cal Golden Bears (6-6) and the No. 24 ranked UNLV Rebels (10-3).
Cal could be grateful for the postseason destination after experiencing their first taste of life in the ACC. The Golden Bears made four cross-country trips to play opponents in 2024, but Cal won three of their final five games to become bowl-eligible this season.
Despite the ranking, UNLV could be the team on the rocks entering this matchup. The Rebels lost their head coach to Purdue, and multiple athletes have already entered the transfer portal ahead of Wednesday’s bowl game.
Will Cal win their second matchup against a depleted UNLV roster? We’ll cover that and our three favorite player prop bets for the LA Bowl below.
After a stellar 2024 season, Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza unexpectedly departed the program and entered the transfer portal. In his absence, senior signal-caller Chandler Rogers will get the start tonight.
Rogers is an experienced gun, having started the majority of the past two seasons at two mid-major football programs. While he’s definitely capable of leading this team with his arm, expect Rogers to use his feet more against the Rebels, keeping him from covering this passing prop bet.
UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams was not the starter heading into the season. That role belonged to the now-departed Matthew Sluka, a player who caused significant controversy with his NIL allegations.
The Rebels – and especially Williams – overcame that with flying colors, earning the team’s second consecutive berth in the Mountain West Championship game. The senior signal-caller was a big reason behind that as Williams threw for 1,845 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions this season.
His feet were bigger problems for opponents. Williams finished the season with 824 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 2024. With Williams earning at least 10 carries per game and 5.5 rushing yards per attempt, bettors should expect him to cover this player prop bet on Wednesday.
The Golden Bears were a balanced offensive team, passing just 24 more times than the team ran the ball this season. That’s due to having two strong running backs like Jaivian Thomas and Jadyn Ott in the backfield.
Ott earned more carries than Thomas on the year, but the speedy Thomas nearly doubled his counterpart’s rushing yardage in 2024. With Rogers in the backfield for the first extended action this season, expect the Bears to run the football and have Ott cover this player prop bet.
Both teams have been hit by the transfer portal, and fans will get to see what future players could be capable of playing in this game. This should be a competitive game throughout the evening with plenty of points being scored by both teams.
Still, the best bet for bettors is for Cal to win this contest. UNLV lost its coach, and the Rebels have experienced unprecedented success and overcame adversity this season to achieve the program’s first-ever AP Top 25 ranking.
Losing their head coach and learning that Dan Mullen will assume the role will cause a distraction. With uncertainty swirling around the program, expect the Golden Bears to earn a bowl win over the Rebels.