CBS Sports Sees The UNLV Rebels 'Winning In 71% Of Its Simulations' Against UCLA In Week 2

Despite winning in Week 0, people were down on the UNLV Rebels after barely escaping the Idaho State Bengals with a 38 - 31 victory on their home field of Allegiant Stadium. However, after an impressive road victory over the Sam Houston Bearkats in Week 1, the offseason hype surrounding the Rebels is beginning to once again build up steam. Most predictions we have seen roll in this week are leaning in favor of the Rebels knocking off their Big 10 foe this week, the UCLA Bruins.

That could be much in part due to the fact that the Bruins caught a whooping last week from the Utah Utes, but it also seems like people are excited about what they saw last week in UNLV's 38 - 21 victory. While the team still isn't quite a finished product, we got a glimpse last week at just how good they could be once they are clicking on all cylinders.

CBS Sports recently gave their prediction for the UNLV vs UCLA matchup, and they may best exemplify this current outlook that they are describing. They don't only think that the Rebels might beat UCLA, but they are giving them a 71% chance to win the game.

CBS Sports' Take

"Things did not go as planned in Week 1 for UCLA (0-1), which was dominated by Utah 43-10. It was the largest margin of defeat in a season opener for the Bruins since they lost 38-3 to Oklahoma in 1986.

The year couldn't have started much better for UNLV, however, as the club has begun the campaign with victories against Idaho State and Sam Houston. The Rebels scored 38 points in each triumph, while junior running back Jai'Den Thomas has rushed for 212 yards and four touchdowns thus far in 2025.

UCLA won its only two previous meetings with UNLV, but the SportsLine Projection Model thinks the Rebels have a strong chance to come out on top this time around, as it sees them winning in 71% of its simulations. The model is calling for a 31-21 victory for UNLV, which is looking to get off to a 3-0 start for the second straight season."

We are in full agreement with CBS Sports here. UNLV should pull this game out. While 71% looks like a big number, it makes sense. The Bruins are not a good team, and the Rebels are. if we are going to believe that UNLV is going to win the Mountain West Conference and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, then they should be able to beat bottom-of-the-barrel Power 4 teams like this.