Will kids pay attention to a substitute teacher?

It’s always a big risk to bet on a team playing in a bowl game with an interim coach.

Sometimes, the gamble pays off, as it did in 2003 when Bo Pelini stepped in at Nebraska after Frank Solich was fired and led the Cornhuskers to a 17-3 victory over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl.

Then there are times when backing an interim doesn’t add up, such as last season when Alabama dismissed David Shula and fill-in coach Joe Kines suffered a 34-31 loss to Oklahoma State in the Independence Bowl.

On Saturday, UCLA’s DeWayne Walker will be the interim on the spot when he leads the Bruins (6-6) against Brigham Young (10-2) in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Cougars are listed as six-point favorites.

UCLA supporters can only hope that Walker has the same type of success Ed Kezirian had when he stepped up after Bob Toledo was let go in 2002.

In his one game as interim coach, Kezirian led UCLA to a 27-13 victory over New Mexico in the Las Vegas Bowl with the Bruins covering the spread as 10-point favorites.

Although UCLA defeated BYU, 27-17, early in the season and has won seven consecutive games over the Cougars, money has flowed against the Bruins. According to theSpread.com’s betting chart, BYU has picked up 69% of the bets against the spread as of Thursday, and at Wagerline.com, the Cougars have 63.92% support.

Betting action for the game has been strong, which is not a surprise to Reed Richards of BetUS.com.

“Our customers definitely bet on BCS games in record numbers each year, but we’ve also noticed a steady incline in the amount of wagers being put on non-BCS games,” Richards said. “We’re finding that non-BCS games are a popular new stream of interest for many teams that don’t make the BCS series.”

According to BetUs.com, the biggest wager made on the game is a $10,000 bet on BYU. The biggest bet on UCLA? $7,500.

Note: Here are a few proposition bets on the Las Vegas Bowl available at Bodoglife.com: Team to score first? UCLA (+120) or BYU (-150); The first score of the game will be? UCLA touchdown (2-1), UCLA field goal or safety (7-2), BYU touchdown (27-20), BYU field goal or safety (67-20); UCLA total points? Over 20 1/2 points (-115) or Under 20 1/2 points (-115); BYU total points? Over 26 1/2 points (-115) or Under 26 1/2 points (-115).

College basketball

Clemson will be looking to remain undefeated in the first round of the San Juan Shootout today. The Tigers (8-0) will face DePaul (2-5) in a game that should produce points.

The Tigers average 79.9 points a game, and the Blue Demons give up 79. The over/under action may get some work. The over is 4-1 in games involving Clemson and 4-1 in games involving DePaul.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com