Two teams that exceeded expectations in a big way are set to meet in the Arizona Bowl on Friday evening. The first-ever bowl game to be broadcast digitally by Barstool Sports will pit the Ohio Bobcats against the Wyoming Cowboys. Along with what is sure to be an entertaining broadcast, the contrasting styles and strengths of the two teams help add to the intrigue of this matchup. The Ohio vs Wyoming odds and college football betting picks have the MAC representative tabbed as a slight favorite.
The following game preview provides the college football betting odds, trends and FEI Index ratings before sharing our official Ohio vs Wyoming prediction for the Arizona Bowl matchup.
Ohio vs Wyoming Prediction | College Football Betting Picks
Arizona Bowl
Ohio Bobcats (9-4, 7-1 MAC) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (7-5, 5-3 MWC)
Date: Friday, December 30, 2022
Time: 4:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Arizona Stadium — Tucson, AZ
Coverage: Barstool Sports
2022 has certainly been a year of resurgence for the Ohio football program. After winning just three games a season ago, the Bobcats nearly reached the top of the mountain in the Mid-American Conference. Following a 2-3 start, Tim Albin’s team rattle off seven straight wins to clinch the MAC East Division title. Unfortunately, the Bobcats were unable to overcome the loss of star quarterback Kurtis Rourke to injury and fell to Toledo in the conference championship game.
Very little was expected of Wyoming this year following a slew of transfers. After getting destroyed by Illinois in their season-opener, the Cowboys rattled off three straight wins. Back-to-back losses were followed by a four-game winning streak that culminated with a pair of rivalry game wins over Hawaii and Colorado State. Wyoming even had a chance to knock off Boise State with a division crown on the line but ultimately lost by a field goal. The Pokes were shut out by eventual Mountain West Champion Fresno State in their regular-season finale.
Ohio vs Wyoming College Football Betting Picks and Odds
All college football betting odds for Ohio vs Wyoming can be found at BetOnline Sportsbook.
Moneyline: OHIO: (-135) | WYO: (+115)
Point Spread: OHIO: -2.5 (-110) | WYO: +2.5 (-110)
Total: 42 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
College Football FEI Ratings
The following table shares the Fremeau Efficiency Index rankings for both teams involved in this Arizona Bowl matchup. The purpose of the FEI ratings is to represent the per-possession scoring advantage that a team would be expected to have on a neutral field against an average opponent. The rankings for offense and defense are out of 131 total FBS-level teams.
Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI) ratings are from Football Outsiders
| Team | Overall FEI (Rk) | OFEI (Rk) | DFEI (Rk) |
| Ohio | -.13 (76) | .28 (47) | -.46 (99) |
| Wyoming | -.43 (99) | -.72 (113) | -.31 (83) |
Ohio vs Wyoming College Football Betting Trends
- Bobcats are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games overall.
- The OVER is 5-1-1 in the Bobcats’ last seven games against teams with a winning record.
- Bobcats are 1-9 ATS in their last ten non-conference games.
- Cowboys are 6-1 ATS in their last seven bowl games played in the month of December.
- Each of the Cowboys’ last five games has stayed UNDER the total.
- Cowboys are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games against MAC opponents.
- Last two Ohio vs Wyoming head-to-head meetings came back in 2007 and ’08. Cowboys won both games straight up by a single point, but Bobcats covered both ATS.
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Ohio vs Wyoming Prediction | College Football Betting Picks
Based on regular-season statistics, the Ohio offense is easily the best unit in this matchup. However, the loss of quarterback Kurtis Rourke to a knee injury changes the outlook considerably. Backup CJ Harris played well enough to lead the Bobcats past Ball State and Bowling Green but struggled mightily against Toledo in the MAC title game. Harris doesn’t need to be Superman, but he will need to play well enough to help open things up on the ground for standout freshman running back Sieh Bangura.
Fortunately for Ohio, a defense that struggled early on really came into its own down the stretch. Comprised primarily of experienced upperclassmen, the unit comes into Friday’s game having held three straight opponents to 18 points or less. The Bobcats haven’t allowed more than 24 points in each of their last seven games dating back to mid-October. Opponents failed to surpass the 20-point threshold in five of those seven contests.
The season-long struggles of Wyoming’s offense offer added reason to believe that Ohio’s defense could steal the show in the Arizona Bowl. The Cowboys ranked 113th out of 131 FBS teams in adjusted offensive efficiency and 109th in scoring at 19.6 points per game. Running back Titus Swen was the focal point all season long, but he will not be playing on Friday after declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft. Fellow RBs Dawaiian McNeely and D.Q. James are also unlikely to play due to injury.
Expecting the Wyoming passing attack to pick up the slack feels like more of a pipedream than a possibility. The Pokes averaged only 126.3 passing yards per game during the regular season. What’s more, leading receiver Joshua Cobbs entered the transfer portal, leaving QB Andrew Peasley without his top target.
Clearly, Wyoming will have to make this a low-scoring affair in order to be competitive. Despite losing three impactful players to the transfer portal, Craig Bohl’s defense should be able to hold its own as it has on so many occasions already this season.
UNDER THE TOTAL will be our official college football betting Ohio vs Wyoming prediction for the Arizona Bowl.
For what it’s worth, the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives Ohio a 54.1% chance to win this game outright.
Bet: UNDER 42 (-110 at BetOnline Sportsbook)
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