Loot Levinson breaks down the disruptive defenses and veteran O-lines for the 2025 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl clash between the RedHawks and Bulldogs.
Miami-Ohio RedHawks (7-6 SU, 8-5 ATS) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4 SU, 6-6 ATS)
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Date/Time: Saturday, December 27, 2025 at 4:30PM EST
Where: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona
TV: The CW Network
Betting Odds
Point Spread: M-OH +5/FRES -5 (Bovada)
Money Line: M-OH +165, FRES -195
Over/Under Total: 42
The Miami-Ohio RedHawks and the Fresno State Bulldogs will duke it out in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl on December 27 in Tucson. The RedHawks last played on December 6, losing in the MAC title game to Western Michigan, 23-13. They now turn their attention to a first-ever showdown against the Bulldogs of Fresno State, last seen on November 29 in a 41-14 win over San Jose State, their 8th win of the season. Who should we get behind in this one from Arizona Stadium?
Getting a Feel for Things
On one hand, Fresno State looked to have a standard-enough looking season—a good one, but not a great one. Within this framework are some wildly divergent results. They closed the season in good enough fashion with three wins in their last four. Still, we saw their results range from pounding eventual conference champion Boise State, 30-7, to getting clobbered by four touchdowns by a 2-10 Colorado State team. An even 6-6 against the spread, they would either cover or not cover by a ton. If you get it right, you’re sailing. If not, it gets hopeless really quickly.
Countering the erratic Bulldogs are the streaky RedHawks. They began the season up against it with a rotten 0-3 start, won five in a row to right the ship, then lost two in a row and won two in a row to finish the season. They did well enough in conference to make it to the title game, and maybe from having played more recently. In their only other test against the Mountain West, the RedHawks came close in a 41-38 loss to UNLV in September against a Rebels team that started 6-0 and played in the MWC title game.
Which Offense Can Get on a Roll?
The Fresno State offense ended the season on a high note with the 41 points against San Jose State. They got a good showing from quarterback EJ Warner, flexed their multi-dimensional run game, and got some big plays out of their pass-catching crew. We’ll now see if they can do it against a Miami-Ohio defense that is both stout and disruptive, with 40 sacks and 20 turnovers for a “D” that gave up more than 24 points just once on the season. Losing edge-rusher Adam Trick entering the portal doesn’t help, as he was one of the RedHawks’ top pass-rushers.
The same equation could also apply to the RedHawks. Sure, they scored a combined 82 points in their last two games, making it appear as though their offense is in fine form. They have some good receivers in Kam Perry and Cole Weaver, but there has been some late-season flux at quarterback, and they don’t run the ball that well. That can add up to bad news against a Bulldogs’ defense that has a high ceiling. Like everything else with this team, it can vary. But they can be stingy, in addition to being one of the more disruptive defenses. With 19 interceptions, it’s a ball-hawk secondary, and we’ve seen the Miami-Ohio aerial attack sometimes not being the most precise.
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What to Expect in the Arizona Bowl
In a bowl season of swelled totals, this one sits at a modest 42 as of press time. It’s understandable on certain levels. Neither team really boasts game-breaking talent, and given the strength of each defense, one could assume fireworks may not be abundant. Each team also boasts high levels of disruption, which could abruptly end some promising drives in this game. In Miami-Ohio’s favor is that even if Fresno State is more ideally situated for this game geographically, the RedHawks fared well when coming here last year and winning the Arizona Bowl against another MWC team in Colorado State, 42-17. Twelfth-year RedHawks head coach Chuck Martin should have this squad ready to play.
In Fresno State’s favor are some pretty damning factoids for potential Miami-Ohio backers. We’ve seen a shaky RedHawks offense with a lack of stability. They closed the season well against weaker defenses, but were still anemic at times. Credit to them for rebounding from a rough 0-3 start, but some of those nagging issues were hard to completely shake. They can really labor on third downs and fail to establish a flow. Their defense could keep them in this, but they will be facing a pretty good veteran O-line of the Bulldogs. With five wins in their last six bowl games, this is a Bulldogs team that usually comes ready this time of year.
Lay the Number on the Bulldogs
Again, a stance on a team as good as Miami-Ohio can be justified against a team that hits low notes like the Bulldogs do. You can’t discount the internal makeup of a team that lifted itself off the canvas so emphatically this season, even getting to this spot and their conference championship. It’s just that if Fresno hits the field ready to rock and roll, some offensive shortcomings may begin to surface that the RedHawks cannot overcome. I think Fresno can peck away, lean on their O-line a bit in this spot, and create some late separation to get the win and cover in the Arizona Bowl. I’m taking the Bulldogs.
Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread:
I’m betting on the Fresno State Bulldogs minus 5 points.
