Betting public reluctant to back underdog UNLV in bowl game

UNLV’s football team was extremely profitable for bettors as it opened with a 10-1 mark against the spread.

It’s the past two games that made the betting public reluctant to back the Rebels against Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday in Phoenix.

UNLV is a consensus 13-point underdog at Las Vegas sportsbooks against the Jayhawks. The game opened at -11 and quickly climbed to 12½. It is the third-largest spread on the board among the remaining bowl games.

“I think there was more excitement when they played Boise (State) in the championship game here,” Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons said. “There was definitely more (money) on UNLV. Between that and the San Jose (State) game, they kind of let the public down in those two games, so the public has kind of backed away.”

After its hot start, UNLV lost 37-31 to San Jose State on Nov. 25 at Allegiant Stadium and was handed a 44-20 thumping by Boise State in the Mountain West championship game the following week.

Kansas (8-4) won seven of its first nine games, including a victory over Oklahoma on Oct. 28, and was ranked No. 19 before fading down the stretch as injuries at the quarterback position caught up with the Jayhawks.

“No question UNLV is moving up in class playing Kansas,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “I think this is a product of UNLV’s struggles over the last two games, their struggles against the run and looking at how Kansas can run the ball. I think that’s why this number has ticked up that you could see their defense really get worn down in the second half.”

The Jayhawks rank eighth in the nation at 211.3 yards rushing per game and average 33.6 points, which ranked 29th out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Running back Devin Neal had 1,209 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns to earn All-Big 12 second-team honors.

UNLV gives up 163.3 yards on the ground per game, ranking 87th in the country.

Esposito said the ticket counts for UNLV’s first bowl game since 2014 are relatively two-way, but the handle on straight bets and parlays clearly favors Kansas.

The Jayhawks also are vulnerable against the run, which is the strength of UNLV’s Go-Go offense. In response, the total has ticked up to 67½ at most sportsbooks after opening at 64½.

“You figure UNLV will have a shot to at least backdoor this game at some point,” Salmons said. “But Kansas, the way they run the ball and the way they play offense, they run a lot of unique motion stuff that confuses Power Five defenses. They’ll probably have their way here against UNLV. Their defense just really let down the last two weeks and gave up a ton of points.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.