Kansas faces UNLV at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday as two of the most innovative offenses in college football clash. The Jayhawks jumped to 8-4 in coach Lance Leipold’s third season and posted their first Big 12 winning record since 2007 despite missing quarterback Jalon Daniels for most of the year. The slate was highlighted by an upset 38-33 victory over Oklahoma.
UNLV posted one of the biggest turnarounds in college football during a breakout season. The Running Rebels earned a trip to the Mountain West Championship Game for the first time in program history and won their most games since 1984 under first-year coach Barry Odom.
These two teams place a two-game series in 2002-03 with each winning a home game. Most recently, the Jayhawks beat UNLV 46-24 in the second year of the Mark Mangino era. With the excitement around both of these programs, relatively few contributors have opted out of the games.
Kansas vs. UNLV: Need to know
Rolling with punches: Kansas entered the year with Daniels, the Preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, leading the way, but a nagging back issue ultimately limited him. In relief, backup Jason Bean put together another sensational year. In seven games, Bean passed for 1,671 yards, rushed for 259 yards and finished with 15 touchdowns. Despite all the turnover, Kansas finished top 30 in both total and scoring offense. The Jayhawks will be without playcaller Andy Kotelnicki, who left to take the offensive coordinator job at Penn State, but Kansas has plenty left in the tank.
Go Go Offense: UNLV runs a dynamic offensive system under rising star offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. The “Go-Go Offense” relies on creating mismatches in space — primarily using running backs — and it terrorized opposing defenses in the Mountain West. In Marion’s first season, UNLV ranked top 40 in yards rushing and top 25 in points per game. The unit only get better when freshman quarterback Jordan Maiava entered the lineup and added dual-threat ability. He finished with nearly 3,000 total yards in 11 games.
Special teams edge: UNLV might struggle against a Power Five front, but its exceptional special teams gives the Rebels a stark advantage. Kicker Jose Pizano ironically came to UNLV with Bobby Petrino from Missouri State but stuck around after Petrino left to take the Texas A&M offensive coordinator job. He went on to hit 93% of his field goals and multiple game winners to be an All-America contender. Jacob De Jesus also starred as a receiver but posted nearly 1,000 return yards to swing the field on kickoffs and punts. Thanks to the advantages, the Rebels rank top five nationally in net field position, per CFBGraphs. Kansas is 87th.
How to watch Guaranteed Rate Bowl live
Date: Saturday, Dec. 26 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Chase Field — Phoenix, Arizona
TV: ESPN| Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
For a limited time, new subscribers can save $20 on Fubo’s Pro, Elite and Premier plans.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl prediction, picks
Kansas is a more complete team and boasts a dynamic offense, but UNLV has all the tools to keep this game closer than expected. The Running Rebels can control field position and create additional opportunities on special teams. Where the Jayhawks likely pull away is in the running game, behind star running back Devin Neal. However, UNLV will keep pace and cover. Pick: UNLV +13
Which college football picks can you make with confidence during bowl season? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit over the past seven-plus seasons — and find out.
