The Incarnate Word Cardinals take on the Nicholls Colonels on Saturday, August 23, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Incarnate Word comes in as a 13.5-point favorite in this contest with a total set at 51.5. This is a major start to the season for both teams in a top-heavy Southland Conference that will be highly contested.
Here’s my Incarnate Word vs. Nicholls predictions and college football picks for Saturday, August 23, 2025.
Incarnate Word vs Nicholls Prediction
- Incarnate Word vs Nicholls Pick: Nicholls +13.5 or Better
My Incarnate Word vs. Nicholls best bet is on the Colonels to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Incarnate Word vs Nicholls Odds
| Incarnate Word Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-13.5 -102 | 51.5 -110o / -110u | -480 |
| Nicholls Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+13.5 -120 | 51.5 -110o / -110u | +360 |
Incarnate Words vs Nicholls Preview
Incarnate Word Cardinals Betting Preview: Many Personnel Changes
Incarnate Word comes in the cream of the crop in the Southland this season after winning the league last season and advancing to the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
Third-year head coach Clint Killough has turned UIW into a consistent winner fueled by dynamic offensive output, and 2024 was no different.
Led by quarterback Zach Calzada and three electric wide receivers, the UIW offense averaged 39 points per game in conference play while also finding consistency in the running game.
Calzada departs this season, as does FCS All-American wide receiver Roy Alexander. For the first time in the Killough tenure, there's not a superstar player commanding the offense.
Local product Richard Torres won the quarterback battle in fall camp, beating out EJ Colson and Deyon Batiste, who both transferred in from FBS. Torres does have a bit of experience under center for the Cardinals, throwing for 64 yards with a touchdown and an interception a season ago.
The leading rusher from last season, Dekalon Taylor, departs along with three all-conference starters along the offensive line. Overall, four starters return.
This UIW offense should find itself atop the Southland Conference once again, but there could be some growing pains with new personnel.
Defensively, the Cardinals return five starters and seven of their top 14 tacklers overall, although the linebacker room is in need of some transfers to step up after the departures of Mister Williams, Darius Sanders and Tylan Foster.
The defensive line loses two of its top pass rushers, and I would guess we see a drop this season in both rushing yards allowed and Havoc created by this unit.
The secondary sees both of their starting safeties leave, but the cornerback positions are shored up, and UIW did make effective use of the portal to bring in some talent.
Nicholls Colonels Betting Preview: New QB & Strong Secondary
Nicholls comes in after a disappointing 4-8 season in 2024 that saw long-tenured head coach Tim Rebowe retire at the end of the season, and defensive coordinator Tommy Rybacki was internally promoted to head coach.
The offense sputtered in 2024 due to inconsistent quarterback play and its inability to stay on the field with third-down conversions. The Colonels bring in Deuce Hogan — who has previous stops at Iowa, Kentucky and New Mexico State — to lead the offense this season and return productive running back Miquele Brock.
The receiver room is talented, and the offensive line returns four players who started games last year for the Colonels, so the pieces are there for improvement on this side of the ball.
The Colonels' stop unit was the strength of the team last season. This group ranked in the top third in Southland Conference play in most defensive performance metrics.
Nicholls allowed just 2.9 yards per carry on the ground last season and gave up just 287 yards per game in league play. It finished sixth in FCS, allowing just 29% conversions on third down, and was excellent in the red zone, allowing touchdowns on just 54% of trips.
Nine starters return along the defensive line, including Rasheed Lovelace and Alex Villavaso. The secondary has experience, and I would expect solid pass coverage from this group once again this season.
Incarnate Word vs Nicholls Pick, Betting Analysis
I fully expect a solid performance here from the Nicholls defense in this game. This unit gave Southland Conference opponents fits last year with its pass rush and how well it held up against the run.
UIW sees significant talent depart offensively and will also see Killough call the plays this year, as Conner McQueen (OC, QB coach in 2024) is off to the Las Vegas Raiders.
With UIW breaking in a new quarterback and working the kinks out along the offensive line, I don’t anticipate a powerful offensive performance on the road against an upper-tier SLC defense.
Nicholls will create some unique looks and make life tough on Torres. The Nicholls offense has some experience along the offensive line and at running back, while Hogan can take advantage of a weaker pass rush and inexperienced safeties.
Pick: Nicholls +13.5 or Better
