The California Golden Bears (6-6) face off against the UNLV Rebels (10-3) on Wednesday, December 18th. This game will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and televised on ESPN. Both California and UNLV will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:00 ET.

California Golden Bears vs UNLV Rebels

California Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 1, California’s offense is ranked 74th in our power rankings, averaging 26.1 points per game. They are 59th nationally in scoring. Their strength lies in their passing game, ranking 17th in completions and 26th in attempts, with 266.3 yards per game. They are 13th in completion percentage.

Fernando Mendoza leads the team with 3,004 passing yards and a 68.7% completion rate. He has 16 touchdowns and six interceptions, with a passer rating of 99. Jaivian Thomas leads the rushing attack with 598 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 6 yards per carry. Nyziah Hunter has 578 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

UNLV Offense Breakdown

UNLV’s offense has been driven by their ground game, ranking 3rd nationally with 255.9 rushing yards per game on 43.6 attempts, the 4th most in college football. Jai’Den Thomas leads the team with 843 rushing yards, averaging 5 yards per carry, and has scored seven touchdowns. The Rebels are 13th in scoring, averaging 36.2 points per game, and are ranked 51st in our offensive power rankings heading into week 11.

Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams has thrown for 1,845 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, earning a passer rating of 101. Ricky White III has caught 79 passes for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns.

California Team Defense

California’s defense, ranked 29th nationally, has allowed an average of 22.2 points per game this season. In their recent game against SMU, they gave up 38 points, including 304 passing yards and three touchdowns, while also forcing one interception.

Opponents have averaged 234.2 passing yards per game against California, completing 56.9% of their throws. The Golden Bears have faced the 22nd fewest rushing yards in the nation, allowing just 110.1 yards per game on 32 attempts per contest.

California Team Defense

UNLV’s defense has allowed 21.9 points per game this season, ranking 38th nationally. In their recent game against Boise State, they gave up 21 points, allowing 376 total yards, including 218 rushing yards and 158 passing yards.

Opponents have averaged 110.6 rushing yards per game against UNLV, ranking 23rd in the nation. Through the air, quarterbacks have completed 55.7% of their passes, averaging 241.2 passing yards per game.

California vs UNLV Trends

• Across the California Golden Bears last ten road games, the team averaged 20 points per game while allowing 27. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 5-5, while going 4-6 straight-up.
• Although UNLV has a straight up record of 2-1 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs. the spread going 1-2. The team averaged 21 points per game in these games.
• In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the UNLV Rebels have a straight up record of 5-5 and an ATS mark of 6-4.
• Through their previous five contests as the betting favorite, the California Golden Bears have a strong record of 3-2. Their record vs the spread in these matchups is 2-3.

Golden Bears vs Rebels Prediction

With the over/under line at 50.5 points, our recommendation is to take the under, as we project a combined score of 47 points for this week one matchup between California and UNLV.

California is the slight -1.5 point favorite, but we expect UNLV to cover the spread as the home underdog. Our final score projection for this game is 24-23 in favor of California, making a bet on UNLV +1.5 a good play.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.