Idaho State vs UNLV Prediction, Pick, Odds for Saturday, August 23

The Idaho State Bengals take on the UNLV Rebels in college football Week 0 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on the Mountain West Network.

UNLV is favored by -26.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -5000. The total is set at 65.5 points.

Here are my Idaho State vs. UNLV predictions and college football picks for Saturday, August 23.

• Idaho S tate vs. UNLV Pick: Over 65.5 or Better

My UNLV vs. Idaho State best bet is on the Over. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.

Idaho State vs UNLV Odds

• Idaho State vs UNLV point spread: UNLV -26.5 (-110 ), Idaho State +26.5 (-110)
• Idaho State vs UNLV over/under: 65.5 (-112o / -108u)
• Idaho State vs UNLV moneyline: Idaho State +1800, UNLV -5000

First-year UNLV head coach Dan Mullen will bring in a highly sophisticated offensive system. We’ll likely see him use a quarterback in the running game, either Alex Orji or Anthony Colandrea, alongside running back Jai’Den Thomas, who popped off last sea son for 918 yards at six yards per carry.

I fully expect the aptly named Runnin’ Rebels to be humming on the ground this week.

Idaho State ranked 121st nationally among FCS teams in total rush defense last season, surrendering over 250 yards per game at over five yards per carry. Even worse, the Bengals lost all five defensive linemen from last year’s squad, so they’re going through a complete rebuild.

The Rebels also need to run their stuff deep into the second half on Saturday, as they need to see what they have at receiver while generating some continuity in the passing game with both transfer quarterbacks.

They’ll be passing deep into the game against an Idaho State secondary that struggled last season (63% completion allowed, 19 touchdowns allowed to only three interceptions).

Another little wrinkle for UNLV’s game plan: The Rebels need to focus on cleaning up their dreadful red-zone offense from last se ason (21 red-zone field goals, 14 empty red-zone possessions). If they concentrate on red-zone execution, it’ll increase the scoring.

On the other end of the field, I’m reasonably high on Idaho State’s offense.

Jordan Cooke returns at quarterback after putting together a dynamic 2023 (2200 passing yards, 22 touchdowns). Unfortunately, he was hurt for most of last season, but he should be healthy for Week 0.

Additionally, four of the teams’ top six receivers from last season return, and they added transfer portal receivers from Baylor, UTEP, and Utah State, who should add some explosiveness.

UNLV defensive coordinator Paul Guenther runs an aggressive, blitz-heavy pressure defense. But that could be feast-or-famine for the Rebels against a pass-heavy Bengals offense. Idaho State might create some big plays or turn the ball over and allow short fields for the UNLV offense.

The Rebels need to use this game to scout their offense. Idaho State loves to throw the ball around, and the Bengals have a horrific defense. We should see plenty of points on Saturday in Vegas.

Pick: Over 65.5 or Better