![Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Nick Bosa (97) chases down UNLV Rebels quarterback Armani Rogers (1) under pressure from UNLV Rebels offensive lineman Kyle Saxelid, center, during the second quarter of a NCAA college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the UNLV Rebels on Saturday, September 23, 2017 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. [Joshua A. Bickel/Dispatch]
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Idaho State (5-7) vs UNLV (11-3)
August 23, 2025 at 04:00 PM EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: UNLV -24.5 — Over/Under: +64.5
The Idaho State Bengals and the UNLV Rebels meet in week 0 college football action from Allegiant Stadium on Saturday afternoon. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Idaho State vs. UNLV prediction.
Idaho State Recap
The Idaho State Bengals come into this game looking to shake off a disappointing 2024 campaign where the Bengals finished with an overall record of 5-7 including a 3-5 mark in Big Sky conference play. Jordan Cooke is back at QB for the Bengals after redshirting in 2024, which was a big deal considering Cooke threw for 2453 yards in 2023, leading the Bengals to the #1 passing offense in FCS that season. The Bengals bring back four of their top six receivers from last year’s group including Ian Duarte who had 47 receptions for 504 yards and 3 TDs last season. The Bengals get some help via the portal from Baylor and UTEP, so it’ll be interesting to see how Idaho State gets along with the return of Cooke. The defense is going through an overhaul with the entire defensive line being rebuilt, and I think that it could pay off down the road, but it’ll be a tall task out of the gate to help this defense.
Why the Idaho State Bengals will win
- UNLV has lost five of its last six home games against teams from Idaho.
- UNLV has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six home games against teams from Idaho.
UNLV Recap
The UNLV Rebels come into the 2025 season under a new regime with Dan Mullen taking over a Rebels squad that went 11-3 overall including 6-1 in Mountain West conference play, earning a spot in the Mountain West title game, where they fell short against the Boise State Broncos 21-7. The Rebels earned a spot in the LA Bowl where they took down Cal 24-13. There’s no more QB controversy with the Rebels as they have options that will be locked in for the season line Anthony Colandrea who is transferring in from Virginia, but also Alex Orji who transfers in from Michigan to provide a dual threat option for Mullen and the Rebels. Jai’Den Thomas headlines the running back group for UNLV after rushing for 918 yards and ended up being named Mountain West all-Second Team. The receiving corps is where the question marks are, but Jaden Bradley brings some stability and JoJo Earle gives UNLV a ton of upside at the position as well. On defense, only Kodi DeCambara and Marsel McDuffie are returning starters, but Mullen hit the transfer portal extremely hard and brought in a lot of pieces via the transfer portal, but only time will tell if all of those pieces can mesh and give UNLV another season atop the Mountain West.
Why the UNLV Rebels will win
- UNLV has won each of its last seven games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- UNLV has covered the spread in 14 of its last 16 games against non-conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of UNLV’s last four games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Idaho State vs. UNLV Prediction
I’m on the over here. I think Idaho State will score some points with this UNLV team still getting their game feet back underneath them on the fly, but I also feel like UNLV will be able to press and do damage against the Bengals who were a sieve defensively last season and are going to be hard-pressed to improve rapidly this season. I think we’re going to have a bit of a track meet early on this year so give me the over.