Lack of continuity will result in low scores

On By Littum

Cal vs. UNLV, 8:00 ET

Released|Updated

Cal vs. UNLV, 8:00 ET

One of the more difficult things about playing college football is getting the news about the players. There are too many teams to cover and you really have to dig deep – sometimes even checking school journalism students’ X-feeds to see if they have any information. Those days aren’t quite as frequent now that 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 struggles UNLV.

Cal didn’t have a very impressive season this year going just 6-6, but they still made it to this game. It’s not exactly an exciting Bowl, but getting an extra game should be the goal of any football team. To start the year, they ran through UC Davis, posted an impressive win over Auburn on the road, and then beat San Diego State. Then their schedule began to get significantly tougher as they faced Florida State, Miami, Pittsburgh and NC State. Florida State was supposed to be a good team this season, but they fell short of expectations this year. Miami and Pittsburgh were both ranked when Cal played them and they put up a good fight in both losses by a combined three points. They lost to Syracuse and then lost to SMU by 32 points in their final regular season game. Cal is going to be missing some players due to injury and entering the transfer window. Specifically, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who led the team in passing in 11 games, will not be a part of this one.

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

UNLV have put together a very nice campaign this season, but they are not without problems coming into this game. They lost their head coach for the game and their offensive coordinator, so you have to wonder how the consistency will stack up in this one. For the season, UNLV lost just three games. The first was at home to Syracuse, who they fell to in overtime. The other was against Boise State where they dropped the game by five points. The third loss was also against Boise State, which lost in the Mountain West Championship game. Again, not a bad season at all, but it’s hard to win without two of the most important people on your coaching staff. I don’t see too many concerns with players lining up for the Rebels, certainly none of Mendoza’s caliber.

The line on this game has gotten away from me a little bit here, for one side, but I think UNLV should still win this game by five or more points. I’d be surprised if Cal covers, but I like the under 46 in this game. The reasoning for that is mostly that the Cal offense will struggle without Mendoza against a good UNLV defense, and without the offensive coordinator and head coach, things will change a bit for UNLV, so I’m coming back under 46 in this one.

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