The UNLV Rebels take on the Miami (OH) RedHawks in Oxford, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
UNLV is favored by -2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -130. The total is set at 48.5 points.
Here’s my UNLV vs. Miami (OH) predictions and college football picks for Saturday, September 20, 2025.
UNLV vs Miami (OH) Prediction
- UNLV vs. Miami (OH) Pick: Miami (OH) +3 or Better
My Miami (OH) vs. UNLV best bet is on the RedHawks spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
UNLV vs Miami (OH) Odds
| UNLV Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | -130 |
| Miami (OH) Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | +110 |
- UNLV vs Miami (OH) point spread: UNLV -2.5
- UNLV vs Miami (OH) over/under: 49.5 points
- UNLV vs Miami (OH) moneyline: UNLV -130, Miami (OH) +110
UNLV vs Miami (OH) Pick, Betting Analysis
This was the first bet I placed this week, as I've been itching to fade the undefeated Rebels.
When it comes to 3-0 resumes, UNLV has one of the worst you'll see with wins over Idaho State (by seven as 30-point favorites), a dreadful Sam Houston team and the corpse of UCLA by seven — which looks even worse after what New Mexico did to the Bruins, who actually out-performed UNLV (which could easily be 1-2 or 2-1) statistically.
Conversely, Miami (OH) enters this non-conference clash at 0-2, but both losses came against Big 10 teams on the road.
From a strength of schedule perspective, Miami ranks in the top 10 nationally, while UNLV ranks outside the top 175, including FCS teams. That's an enormous discrepancy.
I expected the rebuilt Miami offense to struggle early in the season, but it actually showed more progress sooner than I expected at Rutgers. Don't let the 45-17 final score fool you; that game was pretty competitive. Rutgers only finished with 50 more net yards and actually lost the yards-per-play battle (8.4 to 5.5).
Anthony Colandrea has played very well at quarterback for the Rebels, but again, keep in mind the level of competition. He has a great deep ball, but can struggle in the intermediary range, which is where the Miami (OH) defense will force opposing signal callers to work by design.
To wit, in 2024, Colandrea finished with 11 Big Time Throws to two Turnover Worthy Plays on his deep balls, but that ratio plummeted to one-to-10 in the short to intermediary range.
Expect the Redhawks to force a few takeaways in this one.
Additionally, this is a weird spot for the Rebels, who have to travel west to Oxford for a noon local kick (9 am body clock) coming off a bye with another bye on deck prior to the start of league play. I could see a flat effort.
On the other hand, Miami Ohio (also off a bye) should come in focused for its home opener in search of its first win of the season.
Lastly, UNLV will likely shoot itself in the foot too often, as the Rebels come into this game averaging 111 penalty yards per game (135th nationally). They will also likely lose the field position battle against an elite special teams unit.
Pick: Miami (OH) +3 or Better
