The UNLV Rebels And Houston Cougars meet in a matchup on Saturday in Week 1. Kickoff from TDECU Stadium is at 7:00 PM ET (FS1). Below, we break down BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UNLV vs. Houston chancesand make our expert college football predictions.

UNLV was a bit of a surprise team in 2023. Under first-year coach Barry Odom, the Rebels averaged 34.4 points per game and allowed 28.8 PPG. They went 9-5 and appeared in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game (a 44-20 loss to Boise State) and a bowl game (a 49-36 loss to Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl).

Nevada-Las Vegas’ strengths heading into Odom’s second year in the desert are its offensive line and receiving corps.

Houston went a disappointing 4-8 last fall. The Cougars bring in a new coach, Willie Fritz, from Tulane.

Fritz has a QB who is twice as dangerous Donovan Smith and talented transfers on both sides of the ball. The Cougars will look to flip the script on a negative point differential in 2023 when they averaged 23.7 ppg and scored 31.5 ppg.

– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports

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UNLV vs. Houston Odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; visit USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for full listings. Lines last updated Friday at 3:18pm ET.

• Moneyline: UNLV +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | Houston -160 (bet $160 to win $100)
• Against the spread (ATS): UNLV +3.5 (-115) | Houston -3.5 (-105)
• Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

UNLV at Houston Picks and Predictions

Prediction

Houston 34, UNLV 31

Moneyline

Expect a game-changing effort from UNLV, who has won 6 straight road games ATS. The Cougars are overhauling their offensive line, and Fritz may not have everything he wants to do.

But in a tight, relatively high-scoring game, look for Houston, who has an edge at kicker, to win. And the propensity is enough to create some value here on the ML. SUPPORT THE COUGARS (-160).

Against the spread

PASSAGE: A better value can be found on the ML.

Over/Under

UNLV’s last 13 season openers have produced 12 Overs. And the Over has gone 5-1 in the Rebels’ last six games in 2023.

Expect Houston’s defense to be better in 2024. That said, this is a look at the season as a whole, and some progression toward more skill would be the expected trend line.

The strengths-weaknesses and pace of play put this match firmly in the Over category.

BET ON THE OVER 55.5 (-110).

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