2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Prediction, odds, and how to watch

The college football bowl schedule picks up this week, starting on Tuesday with three bowl games. One of those is a juicy matchup in the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

There aren't a ton of bowl games that feature a pair eight-win teams but the Guaranteed Rate Bowl will as 8-5 Kansas will square off against 9-4 UNLV. The Running Rebels have had a great season in the first year under Barry Odom reaching the Mountain West title game.

The UNLV defense excelled at taking the football away during the season, with 25 takeaways. Kansas only had 16 giveaways this season for reference. UNLV also boasts one of the most up-tempo offenses in college football. Jordan Maiava threw for 2,794 yards and led an offense that also boasted 37 rushing touchdowns and averaged 34.3 points per game.

However, the Rebels aren't great at stopping the run, which is going to be a big key against the Jayhawks. Jason Bean has been solid at quarterback, but KU averages 5.5 yards per attempt, as well as 211 per game, so the ground game will be a focal point.

Here's all the key info for the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl odds

Kansas is listed as an 11.5-point favorite against UNLV. The over/under is 67.5 points, while the money line is -440 for the Jayhawks; It's +340 for UNLV.

How to watch 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl

• Date: Tuesday, December 26
• Time: 9:00 PM EST
• Venue: Chase Field (Phoenix)
• How to Watch: ESPN

Guaranteed Rate Bowl prediction

This should be an exciting game with lots of points. UNLV will move the football against Kansas and this should have the feel of a classic Big-12 battle. The problem is that Kansas is dominant on the ground. Not only is Devin Neal dynamic, but Daniel Hishaw also ran for just under 600 yards and averaged five yards per attempt. QB Jason Bean can run too and I just don't see UNLV's defense holding up well enough.

Kansas 41, UNLV 28