The UNLV Rebels take on the Sam Houston Bearkats in Huntsville, Texas, on Friday, Aug. 29. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
This line has taken some action in the market this week, as UNLV opened at -13.5 and now sits at -9.5 with a moneyline number of -325. Sam Houston, meanwhile, comes in at +260 to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 62.5 points.
Here are my UNLV vs Sam Houston prediction and college football picks for Friday, August 29.
UNLV vs Sam Houston Prediction
- UNLV vs. Sam Houston Pick: Over 61.5
My Sam Houston vs. UNLV best bet is on both teams to go over the total. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
UNLV vs Sam Houston Odds
| UNLV Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -115 | 61.5 -105o / -115u | -325 |
| Sam Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -105 | 61.5 -105o / -115u | +260 |
- UNLV vs Sam Houston Spread: UNLV -9.5 (-115), Sam Houston +9.5 (-105)
- UNLV vs Sam Houston Over/Under: 61.5 (-105o / -115u)
- UNLV vs Sam Houston Moneyline: UNLV -325, Sam Houston +260
UNLV vs Sam Houston College Football Betting Preview
UNLV Rebels Betting Preview: A Disjointed Unit
The way UNLV played defensively last week was one of the more shocking takeaways I had from Week 0. It gave up 555 total yards, with 395 of those coming through the air. It also gave up 6.4 yards per carry on the ground.
The Rebels were consistently out of position and unable to put pressure on Idaho State quarterback Jordan Cooke, and it took four interceptions for UNLV to escape at home.
Offensively, UNLV looked jerky and disjointed at times.
The red-zone inconsistencies that plagued the Rebels in 2024 reared their ugly head once again. The seven trips inside the 20-yard line resulted in three touchdowns, a field goal and tons of points left off the board.
I think they have settled on Anthony Colandrea at quarterback, as the offense was more crisp with him at the helm.
Running back Jai’Den Thomas was electric, and we saw a couple of flashes from the receiving group, which I'm encouraged about.
Sam Houston Bearkats Betting Preview: Up-and-Down Result
Sam Houston comes in having played better than expected last week despite not covering its game on the road at Western Kentucky.
I was encouraged by how Hunter Watson threw the football, and the Bearkats also found a way to run it effectively for stretches.
We should see Sam Houston air it out a little more after watching the UNLV film and observing all the disconnect in the Rebels' secondary last week.
The Bearkats' defensive unit has taken a significant step back, as suspected. The defense allowed 402 passing yards, third-down conversions on 11-of-19 attempts and didn't register a red-zone stop.
A new challenge will be presented this week with UNLV's unique rushing attack coming in, which is totally different than what Sam Houston just lined up against.
UNLV vs Sam Houston Pick, Betting Analysis
I'm going back to the well here with these two teams and playing the over.
We're going to get tempo from Sam Houston, and I expect it to have a similar offensive output this week.
UNLV's defensive woes that were exposed by Idaho State will not get fixed overnight, and I could see Watson having a big day by using his legs to create plays.
The Rebels' stop unit wasn't well-conditioned and didn't impose its will on Idaho State at any point during their Week 0 matchup. I'll be interested to see how this group holds up against Sam Houston's tempo here.
We should see crisper play from UNLV after settling on Colandrea at quarterback. Thomas should also feast here against an undersized Sam Houston defensive line that struggles to stop the run.
I would imagine we see a little more passing out of UNLV, as this Bearkats defense has proven that their secondary can be exposed.
Sam Houston showed last week that it will play hard and run tempo until the end, and I expect that to be the case in this game until the late stages. Both of these offenses will move the ball, and we will get a ton of possessions.
There should be plenty of points to go around.
Pick: Over 61.5
