The Miami (OH) RedHawks (7-6) and Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4) are set to face off in the 2025 rendition of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl on Saturday. The MAC vs. Mountain West showdown will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network. It is familiar territory for Miami, who beat Colorado State 43-17 in the 2024 Arizona Bowl.
The Bulldogs are 5.5-point favorites in Tucson with -218 moneyline odds, and the total has been set at O/U 41.5 points. Here is a preview of the bowl game featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State Preview, Prediction
Miami (OH) Preview
The RedHawks opened 2025 with back-to-back blowout losses on the road to Wisconsin and Rutgers, so their three-point home loss to UNLV was actually a step in the right direction. A 38-0 win over FCS foe Lindenwood officially got Miami back on track, since they proceeded to open their MAC slate 4-0 with wins over Northern Illinois, Akron, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. Even after losses to Ohio and Toledo, the RedHawks snuck into the MAC title game by besting Buffalo and Ball State. Western Michigan won in the neutral site rematch, though.
Henry Hesson and Thomas Gotkowski have split time as Miami’s starting quarterback after DeQuan Finn stepped away from the team midseason. Hesson and Gotkowski have combined for eight touchdowns and three interceptions while completing just 43.8% of their passes. They haven’t been able to match Finn’s production on the ground, either, rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown compared to 395 yards and four scores. Jordan Brunson is the RedHawks’ leading rusher with 724 yards, while D’Shawntae Jones has the most rushing touchdowns with seven. Kamryn Perry, Cole Weaver and Keith Reynolds each have between 35 and 43 receptions, but Perry blew his teammates out of the water with 966 yards and six touchdowns.
Miami’s offense ranks No. 87 nationally with 25.1 points per game. Their defense ranks No. 45 with 22.0 points allowed per game. Defensive back Eli Blakey and linebacker Jackson Kuwatch each cleared 100 tackles. Edge rusher Adam Trick has 12.5 tackles for loss with 8.5 sacks.
Fresno State Preview
After losing 31-7 to Kansas in their season-opener, the Bulldogs rattled off five wins in a row. Close calls at Hawaii and versus Nevada turned to losses at Colorado State and versus San Diego State, though. Fresno State went 3-1 in November, losing by 11 to Utah State but thoroughly dismantling Boise State, Wyoming and San Jose State.
The RedHawks benched former Temple and Rice quarterback E.J. Warner early in the season, but he has since reclaimed his starting job from Carson Conklin. In nine games of action, Warner has gone from 1,811 yards, 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 69.4% of his passes. The one-two punch of Rayshon Luke and Bryson Donelson in the backfield has racked up 144 and 151 touches, respectively. They have combined for 1,603 yards and 13 touchdowns from scrimmage. Josiah Freeman is to Bulldogs’ top receiver with 499 yards and five touchdowns on 45 catches.
Fresno State ranks No. 78 in points per game this season at 26.4. The Bulldogs’ defense is much more competitive, ranking No. 25 in the country with 20.1 points per game. Only one Fresno State player topped 50 tackles – linebacker Jadon Pearson, who has 99 heading into the bowl game.
Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State Pick, Best Bet
The Bulldogs are a 5.5-point favorite, but they are three spots below the RedHawks in ESPN’s FPI rankings. As is the case with of lot of the lower-tier bowl games, two defensive-oriented teams are more than capable of breaking out of their shell taking the contest in an unexpected direction. If the analytics suggest it’s a toss-up, there is more value in taking the points, even if Miami’s quarterback situation is somehow messier than Fresno State’s.
As for the point total, both sides’ unpredictability makes it difficult to come down on either side of the line. Miami can scored three points one week then 45 the next. The same goes for Fresno State, having broken 40 points multiple times but also getting shut out. Avoid taking the over or under for this contest.
