Kansas vs Nevada Odds, Prediction: Bet On a Blowout

The penultimate game of Week 3 takes us to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada as the Nevada Wolf Pack host the Kansas Jayhawks in a nonconference matchup.

Kansas burst onto the scene last Friday when it beat Illinois, 34-23, in a game that was much more of a blowout than the final score would suggest.

Speaking of blowouts, that has been the story for Nevada early this season … and not in a good way.

This late-night matchup should tell us a lot about both teams. The Jayhawks look like a dark-horse Big 12 contender through two games, and another win would keep the momentum going.

Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack need a victory to get their season back on track.

Let's jump into the odds for Kansas vs. Nevada and find a pick in this NCAAF betting preview for Saturday, Sept. 16.

Kansas has the look of a Big 12 title contender, and no, I'm not talking about the men's basketball team.

OK, that was a little tongue-in-cheek considering how Texas and Oklahoma have played, but there's no doubt that the Jayhawks look like an eight(ish) win team this year.

Putting together a 34-7 lead on Illinois was a big statement for Kansas. It went up and down the field with ease against a pretty talented Illini defense, and that should be really encouraging for the Jayhawks' season-long outlook.

Quarterback Jalon Daniels played great with 277 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the win, but what really stood out was his playmaking ability.

He's a shifty runner, which makes him incredibly difficult to bring down in the backfield, and that frees him to throw on the run when the play breaks down.

Just look at his arm strength and ball placement on this throw against Illinois.

Not every quarterback can do that.

Luckily for the Jayhawks, Daniels doesn't need to play like Superman each game because he can rely on a running game that's averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Lawrence native Devin Neal leads the way with 213 rushing yards and two scores on just 23 carries.

Even though Kansas' defense hasn't been quite as good as the offense, it does a good job of creating chaos by ranking second in Havoc.

One player to watch on the Jayhawks defense is Jereme Robinson, who already has three sacks this season.

Nevada may be the worst team in FBS.

It's one thing to get trounced by USC, 66-14. That kind of score will probably happen to some of the Trojans' Pac-12 opponents this year. The real concern is getting blown out by FCS Idaho, 33-6, at home. 

The red flags around this team are so big that they're visible from outer space. Every one of Nevada's advanced offensive metrics is 113th or worse, and the Wolf Pack's defensive stats tell the same story.

Nevada quarterback Brendon Lewis has struggled, completing 56.6% of his passes for 286 yards and a pick through two games. I could dive into more of the individual stats, but there really is nothing of note, which illustrates the dire position the Wolf Pack find themselves in.

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Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Kansas and Nevada match up statistically:

Kansas Offense vs. Nevada Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	25	117
Line Yards	8	75
Pass Success	7	132
Havoc	36	107
Finishing Drives	54	109
Quality Drives	10	133

Nevada Offense vs. Kansas Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	119	82
Line Yards	114	121
Pass Success	123	70
Havoc	119	2
Finishing Drives	128	132
Quality Drives	113	60

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	80	126
PFF Coverage	46	130
Special Teams SP+	4	120
Middle 8	19	116
Seconds per Play	30.4 (120)	27.6 (78)
Rush Rate	59.0% (22)	46.7% (95)

It's hard to see this game being anything other than a blowout win for Kansas. The betting markets see it that way as well, with most sportsbooks listing the Jayhawks as 28-point road favorites.

I can't argue with that, especially after Nevada lost at home to an FCS team by 27 points last week. The Wolf Pack have issues all over the place, and a Kansas team that's feeling good about itself should be able to make this one ugly.

FanDuel has the Jayhawks favored by 27.5 points, so get them at that number if you can. Otherwise, roll with Kansas as 28-point favorites.