The Memphis Tigers take on the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET on FOX.
UNLV is favored by -5.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -220. The total is set at 56.5 points.
Here are my Memphis vs. UNLV predictions and college football picks for Saturday, August 29, 2026.
Memphis vs UNLV Prediction
• Memphis vs. UNLV Pick: Memphis +4.5 (Play to +3)
My UNLV vs. Memphis best bet is on the Tigers to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Memphis vs UNLV Odds
| Memphis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -115 | 56.5 -110o / -110u | +155 |
| UNLV Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -105 | 56.5 -110o / -110u | -188 |
- Memphis vs UNLV point spread: UNLV -4.5 (-115), Memphis +4.5 (-105)
- Memphis vs UNLV over/under: 56.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Memphis vs UNLV moneyline: Memphis +155, UNLV -188
Memphis vs UNLV Preview
Memphis Tigers Betting Preview
After six seasons in Memphis, head coach Ryan Silverfield departed for the Arkansas job. Given the resources and FedEx money that Memphis has, you can argue that he underachieved a bit.
Both Justin Fuente and Mike Norvell won AAC Championships before departing for bigger jobs. The Tigers failed to even reach the title game under Silverfield.
The hope is that former Southern Miss and Marshall coach Charles Huff will return them to the top of the conference.
Huff will have virtually an entirely new roster to work with. The Tigers return zero starters on defense and that unit will be entirely made up of transfers. Only guard Parker Mitchell and wide receiver Brady Kluse return on offense.
As of this writing, Memphis has yet to name a starting quarterback. The ongoing QB1 battle is between Marcus Stokes, a West Florida transfer who put up over 3,000 yards passing with 30 touchdowns through the air and 10 on the ground at the Division II level, and Air Noland, a former four-star recruit who started his career at Ohio State and South Carolina.
While new to Memphis, Huff will have plenty of familiar faces on the field, including running back Jaylin Carter and receiver Tychaun Chapman, who comes over from Southern Miss. Whichever quarterback wins the job, expect them to rely heavily on those two skill players.
On defense, Huff brought in former Miami defensive coordinator Lance Guidry to run the show. Guidry served as the defensive coordinator for Huff at Marshall before getting the Hurricanes job.
Despite all the new pieces to work in, Guidry should have a ton of talent at his disposal on this defense.
That talent begins with star defensive lineman J’Mond Tapp. Huff used some of that FedEx money to bring Tapp with him from Southern Miss and away from Power 4 offers. Tapp is a game-changer who tallied 7.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss on his way to a First-Team All-Sun Belt selection last season.
I really like a lot of the other pieces Huff brought in on defense as well. Defensive tackle Jaden McKinney, linebacker Mike Montgomery, safety Ian Foster and cornerback Ahmere Foster also come over from Southern Miss.
Linebacker Jayden Parrish joins them from Florida State, and the rest of the secondary will be made up of James Madison transfer Chauncey Logan Jr. and Austin Peay standout Ellis Ellis Jr.
If they can gel quickly, this defense can be very good.
UNLV Rebels Betting Preview
The good news for UNLV is that Boise State is officially out of its hair and off to the Pac-12. Over the last three years, UNLV has lost just 10 non-bowl games. Five of those losses were to Boise State, including three straight Mountain West title games.
Dan Mullen is back for year two after a solid debut season. The Rebels went 10-2 in the regular season before dropping the title game to Boise State and the Frisco Bowl to Ohio.
UNLV will be tasked with replacing MWC Offensive Player of the Year Anthony Colandrea with another Power 4 transfer quarterback.
Former five-star prospect Jackson Arnold struggled during his time at Oklahoma and Auburn and will look for a fresh start in the Group of 6. While Arnold has struggled with his processing as a passer, he does have a ton of experience with 27 games already under his belt.
Mullen has yet to announce a starter for the season, which could be just him keeping things under wraps or it could be a major concern. We have seen enough of Alex Orji to know he's essentially a wildcat quarterback. If Jackson is unable to beat him out for the job, it would be a major red flag.
Luckily, whoever is under center has Jai’Den Thomas standing behind him. Thomas is truly one of the most electric players in the sport. The star running back averaged 7.0 yards per carry last season and has totaled 2,457 yards and 31 touchdowns in his three seasons for UNLV.
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther finally has a full offseason to prepare after taking over late in the spring last year. The defense took a while to get going last season but finished strong, allowing 17 points or less in four of their last six games.
The Rebels will have one returning starter at each level of the defense, with Lucas Conti returning on the defensive line, Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu at linebacker and Jake Pope at safety. Pope was second on the team in tackles and is the key to this defense while roaming the back end. They likely need him to be their best player.
All-Patriot League linebacker Cam Santee is a Holy Cross transfer who was brought in to help improve a run defense that ranked outside of the top 100 last season.
The defense needs to be more consistent this season, especially with the offense expected to take a step back.
Memphis vs UNLV Pick, Betting Analysis
The UNLV quarterback situation really makes me nervous. Both options have proven to be better runners than passers.
The hope is that Arnold dropping down a level will help him settle in, similar to Colandrea last season. But if he isn’t able to clearly beat out Orji, who we know can’t play, that is a big concern for me.
Whoever wins the job will likely be more of a run-first threat, and the Rebels will clearly lean heavily on Jet Thomas. Thomas is a star and capable of breaking one at any moment, but there are some stars in the Memphis front seven as well.
Tapp is a monster up front for the Tigers. He is capable of blowing up a play in the backfield before it even begins and is somebody that UNLV will have to account for on every play.
If they are able to get past Tapp, Montgomery is an anchor in the middle of this defense and racked up 105 tackles for Southern Miss last season.
The Tigers have potential to be the best front seven in the Group of 6 and it will be a difficult task for UNLV to get through this unit consistently.
With a murky quarterback situation for the Rebels and their top four leading receivers from last year all gone, Memphis will be able to really key on the run and focus on Thomas.
While Memphis has a quarterback battle of its own, I am less concerned about that battle not shaking out. Stokes had a ton of success at West Florida and has proved he can run an offense successfully, even if at a lower level. Noland has basically no experience at the college level, but winning this job would signal his talent as a former blue-chip recruit.
Huff has proven he is able to get his team going in a hurry and doesn’t take long to settle in. In his first game as a head coach at Marshall, the Herd went on the road and blasted Navy 49-7. Last year at Southern Miss, they trailed Mississippi State by just three points at halftime in their opener and started the season 7-2.
This game has a ton of uncertainty, but the unit I trust most to be the best group on the field is the Memphis defense. Huff’s teams are always strong against the run and stopping that takes away UNLV’s best path to success.
I will happily take the 4.5 points with the Tigers and wouldn’t be surprised at all if they win this game.
Pick: Memphis +4.5 (Play to +3)
