9:00 PM EST, FS1 – Spread: UNLV -6.5, Total: 59.5
An interconference clash between schools jockeying for position at the fringe of the polls meet tonight in Sin City, as the undefeated (No. 25) UNLV play host to the improved Syracuse Orange, from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It’s the beginning of a new era at Syracuse (3-1, 1-1 in ACC), who are looking to finally carry over their early season momentum into the latter stages of the campaign. Simply put, this is something that (Head Coach) Fran Brown is putting a sizeable emphasis on, given that that is a big reason why his predecessor lost his job. From 2016 to 2022, the Orange were a dismal 20-45 in conference play, including an even worse 1-17 against league opposition between 2019 and 2020. Furthermore, they started 3-1 or better on four different occasions during that span, though only managed to win more than seven games once (2018). Clearly, finishing has been a prevailing issue for this program, which is something that that Brown hopes to change. Of course, the 41-year-old is coming from Georgia, where he experienced the highest of highs in winning back-to-back National Championships as their Defensive Backs Coach. Billed as a strong recruiter, the New Jersey native has strong ties to the tri-state area with various spells at both Rutgers and Temple. With that in mind, Brown hit the Transfer Portal HARD upon arriving to the empire state, with nine quality transfers on both sides of the football, chief among them being (Senior Quarterback) Kyle McCord, who started at Ohio State last Fall. As a result, the offense has improved greatly, averaging 33.8 points (40th in FBS) on a robust 475.3 total yards, including 364.8 yards on the right arm of McCord (pictured below), which is the most in the country. No player in the FBS has completed (114) or attempted (177) more passes either, tossing fourteen touchdowns opposed to five interceptions. With that being said, he did struggle in their lone defeat of the campaign, a narrow 26-24 loss to (ACC newcomer) Stanford, completing 27-of-42 passes for 339 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, one of which was returned seventy-one yards to the house late int he third quarter. Thankfully, a visit from (FCS opponent) Holy Cross provided Syracuse with an opportunity to course correct, which they did in last Saturday’s 42-14 victory. The hosts raced out to a 21-0 lead on the strength of three touchdowns from McCord to as many different targets, though the visitors did claw back into the contest with a pair of touchdowns of their own shortly before halftime. However, McCord would strike once more just before intermission, this time to (fifth-year Junior Wideout) Trebor Pena. The second half wasn’t nearly as entertaining as its predecessor, though (Sophomore Cornerback) Jayden Bellamy picked off his first pass of the Fall, returning it thirty-three yards to the house. The Orange outgained their opponent 541-203 in total yards, with a massive disparity in first down (32-8), as McCord connected on 28-of-50 passes for 385 yards four touchdowns, but another two interceptions. (Junior Tailback) LeQuint Allen amassed 135 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on twenty-three touches, while (Georgia transfer) Jackson Meeks hauled in ten receptions for 161 yards and one of those receiving scores.
From a betting perspective, Syracuse may be 3-1 straight-up, but it has been a very different story against the spread where they are just 1-3, parlaying to a net loss of 2.09 units. The only game that Brown’s troops covered was their 23-20 upset of Georgia Tech, which was contested in upstate New York. Dating back to last season, this is a team that has covered just three of their past ten games overall, with a 3-7 mark in their last ten trips away from JMA Wireless Dome, while matching that mark in their most recent ten outings as an underdog. This is a worrying trend for the Orange, who have not been road warriors by any stretch of the imagination, with four consecutive non-covers as a road underdog, along with just as many when they’ve received between 3.5-10.0 points from the oddsmakers, which is the case tonight. With that being said, it’s not all doom and gloom for the ‘Cuse, who have covered SIX straight games following a victory of 20+ points, which is also the case tonight. They have also covered SEVEN consecutive contests after scoring 35+ points and facing an opponent above .500. Looking at this particular matchup, this is the first all-time meeting between these programs, with Syracuse making a roughly 2,410-mile venture westward for this, their road opener. For those wondering, this trip to Sin City will mark their first affair in the western time zone since facing off against USC back in 2011. With that in mind, the Orange have covered each of their last four non-conference road games. It appears that the public isn’t fazed by the prospect of jet lag for this team, as approximately 64% of all wagers placed upon the spread are sporting orange, with a commanding 85% of all money changing hands following suit. On the injury front, there are a few questionables tonight for Brown & Co, including (Senior Linebacker) Marlowe Wax and (Freshman Defensive Back) Marcellus Barnes due to various maladies. Looking ahead, Syracuse will remain on the road next weekend for a trip back to the east coast to battle NC State, before enjoying their second bye week of the campaign. It will be interesting to see if Brown can change the narrative when it comes to this school’s late season struggles, for the Orange are 7-28 SU over the final seven games of the season dating back to 2019.
Meanwhile, UNLV (4-0, 1-0 in MWC) is coming off as chaotic a week as you could imagine, though appear to have emerged as all the stronger for it. News broke late last week when (Senior Quarterback) Matthew Sluka opted to redshirt and transfer away from the program after arriving via transfer last Spring. Sluka enjoyed a stellar career as a 4-year starter at Holy Cross, where he was responsible for NINETY-ONE touchdowns over the last three seasons en route to being a Walter Payton Award finalist in both 2022 and 2023. Through three games, the newcomer looked strong with seven total touchdowns opposed to one turnover, while serving as the leading rusher (253 yards) for an offense that had scored 40.7 points per game on 423.3 total yards. However, his representatives have reportedly stated that they had an agreement with (Offensive Coordinator) Brennan Marrion that he would receive $100,000 in NIL compensation upon transferring to Sin City, though has only received a fraction of that ($3,000) from the university. Welcome to the new landscape of college football, folks. With all that being said, it would have been very easy for the Rebels to descend into chaos and drop their MWC opener against Fresno State, but that was NOT the case as (Head Coach) Barry Odom led his troops to a fourth consecutive victory. Simply put, this has been a historic start for the school, who are 4-0 for the first time since 1976. Odom, who is fresh off 9-5 finish in his first year on the job, has been unflappable in keeping his team on course, which was evident in last weekend’s 59-14 demolition of the Bulldogs. This one was never close, folks, as the hosts ran off THIRTY-ONE unanswered points to begin the lopsided affair. When it was all said and done, UNLV outgained Fresno State 450-346 in total yardage, won the takeaway battle 4-0, blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown, and had a 90-yard kickoff return to the house serving as the icing on the cake late in the fourth quarter. (Senior Quarterback) Hajj-Malik Williams, another FCS transfer (Campbell), balled out in his first start, completing an efficient 13-of-16 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another 119 yards and one more score on a dozen carries. At 24-years-old, Williams (pictured below) possesses the maturity to lead during this period, with his teammates and coaching staff effusive in their praise of the sixth-year senior throughout the week. (Senior Wideout) Ricky White, who led the conference in receiving yards a year ago (1,483), hauled in ten receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns, along with that aforementioned punt return for another house call. After the game, the Third-Team All-American said in regard to a local casino offering to finance his former quarterback’s alleged NIL so that the Rebels would remain competitive, “if they want to donate $100,000, then they give it to our Offensive Line.” That’s the kind of energy and chemistry that this team has, folks. Now, we’ll see that put to the test tonight, as they look to knock off their third Power-4 team already; Odom & Co bested Houston (27-7) and Kansas (23-20) earlier this season, both of which came away from Las Vegas. Ironically, with all this talk of the offense, it has been the defense that has carried them in those respective affairs, relinquishing 299.5 total yards and totaling four takeaways. One of the better defensive minds in the country, Odom proved his mettle at Missouri and Arkansas and is doing so once more with UNLV alongside (30-year-old Defensive Coordinator) Mike Scherer, who played Linebacker for him with the Tigers.
From a betting perspective, UNLV is both undefeated straight-up and against the spread thus far, parlaying to a net profit of 3.64 units. Since arriving in Las Vegas, Odom is 14-4 versus the spread, including 5-2 as a home favorite, and a stellar 7-1 against non-conference opponents. The Rebels were underdogs in each of those previous Power-4 encounters at the Cougars (+3.5) and Jayhawks (+9.5), though tonight’s visit from the Orange will see them favored. Nevada-Las Vegas is 6-4 ATS in their last ten games played at Allegiant Stadium, while covering seven of their past ten outings when favored by the oddsmakers. This is a school that has covered three of their last nine non-conference home games versus FBS opposition but have managed to win and cover each of their last two such affairs, including a 40-37 triumph over Vanderbilt last Fall. Furthermore, they have covered ELEVEN of their last twelve outings following a double-digit ATS win, including each of their last six when the margin of victory has been at least twenty points, which is the case tonight. It appears that the public is well aware of that, as roughly 81% of all wagers placed upon tonight’s spread are running with the Rebels, while a smaller majority of all money being wagered (67%) has followed suit to Sin City. On the injury front, UNLV is largely healthy with no significant absences expected for this matchup. Looking ahead, Odom & Co will hit the road in the coming weeks with trips to Utah State and Oregon State before returning to Vegas for a key clash with (No. 21) Boise State, who defeated them in last year’s Mountain West Championship Game (44-20).