Troy (0-0) vs Nevada (0-0)
Game Info: Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Larry Blakeney Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium)
Betting Odds: Troy -9.5 / Nevada +9.5 --- Over/Under: 49.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Nevada Wolf Pack and Troy Trojans meet Saturday in week 1 college football action at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Here’s a Nevada vs Troy Prediction. This article will include a Nevada vs Troy Pick.
Nevada Wolf Pack Betting Preview
The Nevada Wolf Pack look for a bounce-back performance after coming up short in an upset against SMU in week 0. The Nevada Wolf Pack hope to avoid back-to-back 0-2 starts to a season. Brendon Lewis is completing 53.8 percent of his passes for 132 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Cortez Braham Jr. and Jaden Smith have combined for 98 receiving yards and 1 touchdown, while Marcus Bellon has 1 reception.
The Nevada Wolf Pack ground game is averaging 148 yards per contest, and Lewis leads the way with 77 yards on 18 carries. Defensively, the Nevada Wolf Pack are allowing 29 points and 408 yards per game. Drue Watts leads the Nevada Wolf Pack with 9 tackles, Tongiaki Mateialona has 2 pass deflections and Chad Brown has 1 interception.
Troy Trojans Betting Preview
The Troy Trojans have won a combined 23 games in their last 2 seasons and now begin the Gerad Parker era. Parker was on the Notre Dame staff the last two seasons and is a head coach for the first time since going 0-6 with Purdue in 2016. Troy returns just four starters from last season, is breaking in a new quarterback, and lost nine of its top-10 tacklers. Goose Crowder should get the nod at quarterback after 13 pass attempts last season. Damien Taylor averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a backup running back on 67 touches. Having wide receiver Chris Lewis on the field would be a massive boost, but his status is up in the air after finding cancer earlier in the year.
Defensively, Jordan Stringer returns after 68 tackles, Malaki Pegues had 1.5 sacks and Justin Powe had 1 pass deflection. This defense will look a lot different and has a new defensive coordinator in Dontae Wright. Despite so much roster turnover and a new coaching staff, Troy received four first-place votes to win the west Sun Belt.
Why the Troy Trojans will win
- Troy has won 13 of its last 14 games against non-AP-ranked teams at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
- Nevada has lost 21 of its last 23 games.
- Troy has covered the spread in eight of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
Total Points Facts
- Five of Nevada's last six games against non-conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Four of Troy's last five games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Troy ranked T5th among FBS teams for H2 win percentage last season (.786).
- Troy was one of only eight FBS teams to win 4+ games when trailing after Q1 last season.
Nevada vs Troy Prediction
This line is a bit strange. The Troy Trojans may be the more talented team, but they're also breaking in new faces across the board and have a new coaching staff. Nobody knows what to expect from Troy. The Nevada Wolf Pack have a game under their belt and nearly upset SMU outright as a 27-point underdog. Nevada has had a chance to knock off any rust and figure some things out, and they should be confident after nearly shocking the CFB world. I need to see Troy and this transition before I can just lay big numbers. Give me Nevada and the points.
Randy’s Pick Nevada +9.5
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Mitch's Take...
