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(All odds via PointsBet Sportsbook)
Part of the opening weekend of bowl season, the New Mexico Bowl features Fresno State, who are led by top-10 passer Jake Haener. They take on a UTEP team that saw a revival this season, as they finished with their first winning record since 2014.
Here’s a look at which parts of the matchup to watch, along with the best bet if you’re looking to win some money to buy those last-minute holiday gifts.
What: New Mexico Bowl
Who: Fresno State (9-3, 6-2 in Mountain West) vs. UTEP (7-5, 4-4 in Conference USA)
Where: Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque, NM
When: Saturday, December 18 at 2:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Opening line: Fresno State -13.5 (O/U 51.5)
Current line: Fresno State -11.5 (O/U 51.5)
Most recent bowl result: Fresno State beat Arizona State 31-20 in the 2018 Las Vegas Bowl. UTEP lost to Utah State 21-6 in the 2014 New Mexico Bowl.
Fresno State at a glance: The Bulldogs are in the middle of some turnover, as former head coach Kalen DeBoer left at the end of the regular season to take the head coaching position at Washington. They almost came into this game without star quarterback Jake Haener when he intended to enter the transfer portal, but later decided to rescind the decision. Haener sticking around will be a big boost for the Bulldogs, whose season included a road win against UCLA in September.
UTEP at a glance: The Miners have been that unofficial bye game in past years, but those days are over. Thanks to a stellar defense that finished third in Conference USA in total yards allowed (351.5 YPG), along with the connection of quarterback Gavin Hardison and wide receiver Jacob Cowing, head coach Dana Dimel has this fan base excited for the future. UTEP quickly gained bowl eligibility, winning six of their first seven games this season, while a win over lowly Rice is their only victory since mid-October.
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Key to the matchup: Can the UTEP defense stop their best offensive opponent of the year? UTEP has a good defense on paper, but that might be a mirage if you look at some of their better offensive opponents this season. When they played two of the better offenses in the conference (UTSA and UAB finished as the second and third scoring offense in the C-USA) UAB gave up a combined 86 points. They’ll be going against one of the top quarterbacks in the nation as Haener finished top 10 in both passing yards and touchdowns.
Best Bet: Fresno State -11.5: The spread has dipped since the opening line, but it probably won’t go much lower over the next couple of days so this is a good spot to take the Bulldogs. It’s been an excellent season for the Miners, but this will be the best offense they’ve faced all season, and we’ll see the UTEP defense exposed by the veteran Fresno State passing attack led by Haener.
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