Miami (OH) vs Colorado State Arizona Bowl Prediction & Picks 12/28/2024

The Miami (OH) RedHawks are set to take on the Colorado State Rams in the Arizona Bowl on December 28, 2024, at 4:30 pm EST. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Rams are pegged as 2.5 point underdogs. The total for this game is set at 40.5. It's sure to be an exciting matchup between these two teams, in a bowl game that is thankfully no longer sponsored by the odious Barstool Sports brand, and is instead named after a much more reputable brand: Snoop Dogg.

Here, you can find a full preview of Miami (OH) vs Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl. In this preview, I will give you the keys to this game between MAC and Mountain West opponents. You will also find my best bet for this game, which has come from simulations from our college football betting model, along with our wealth of college football betting experience from over a decade in the industry.

Miami (OH) Looks to Bounce Back From Conference Title Game Loss

The Miami (OH) Redhawks played in the 2024 MAC Championship Game, but things went as poorly as they could have gone for them. They were demolished by the Ohio Bobcats, losing that game 38-3 to head into bowl season with a record of 8-5. Here, the Redhawks will look to avenge that conference title game loss by picking up a win in the Arizona Bowl against the Colorado State Rams, with this week's college football odds making the Redhawks a slight favorite.

For Miami (OH), the key to this game is going to be getting their offense back on track. Brett Gabbert and the Redhawks offense was held to just three points in their last outing. And while they are expected to play better than that against Colorado State, it could take a lot more scoring than that to get the job done against a Rams team that has been explosive on offense at times throughout this season.

Colorado State Looks For 9th Win This Season

The Colorado State Rams went 8-4 this season and nearly made the Mountain West Conference Championship Game. The Rams finished in a tie for second place in the conference, but were ranked below UNLV, who ended up getting to the conference title game and losing to eventual champions Boise State. Here, Colorado State will look to close out their season with a second straight win as they look to take down the runners-up in the MAC in Tucson, AZ.

This season has been tougher offensively than it could have been for Colorado State, thanks to the injury absence of Tory Horton at wide receiver. Horton was one of the best receivers in all of college football last season but could barely play at all this year before his season came to a premature end. Without Horton in this game, Colorado State may need to get creative to score on a very good Miami (OH) defense.

Miami (OH) vs Colorado State Prediction

Our Miami (OH) vs Colorado State prediction is that the Miami (OH) Redhawks will win and cover the spread in the Arizona Bowl. The Redhawks should bounce back on defense after struggling on that side of the ball against a very good Ohio offense. Look for the absence of Tory Horton to be especially painful for Colorado State against this caliber of defense and for the school from the MAC to win the Arizona Bowl in what could be a defensive battle.