The Daily Sweat: UNLV looks to continue its resurgent season against Wyoming
The Rebels are already bowl-eligible for the first time since 2013
You can catch a glimpse of one of the surprise teams of the 2023 college football season if you’re willing to stay up late.
UNLV is 7-2 and a 4.5-point favorite at home against Wyoming on Friday night (10:45 p.m. ET, FS1). The Rebels’ two losses have come to Michigan and Fresno State — teams that enter Week 11 with a combined record of 17-1.
The Rebels are already bowl-eligible with three games remaining in former Missouri coach Barry Odom’s first season with the team. It’ll be the first bowl appearance for the program since UNLV went 7-5 in the 2013 regular season and went to the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
A win as a home favorite Friday night would be the program’s first eight-win season since 2000 and the school’s first season with eight regular-season wins since it went 11-2 in 1984. We told you this has been a remarkable season in Sin City.
UNLV is averaging nearly 37 points per game and 6.2 yards per play. Freshman QB Jayden Maiava has been efficient as he’s completing 65% of his passes and averaging nearly nine yards an attempt. The team boasts a three-headed rushing attack with Vincent Davis, Jai’Den Thomas and Donavyn Lester. Neither player has more than 90 carries and all three have at least 385 rushing yards. The trio has also scored 20 touchdowns.
Friday night is the first of back-to-back games critical for UNLV’s hopes of sneaking into the Mountain West title game and getting a stellar bowl berth. Both Fresno State and UNLV are 4-1 in conference. If Fresno State loses a game before the end of the season and UNLV can go undefeated, the Rebels will play for the MWC title.
That’s a tough task. Air Force (8-1) looms in Week 11 for UNLV.
Wyoming is no pushover, either. The Cowboys are 6-3 and have home wins over Texas Tech and Fresno State. But Wyoming is vulnerable on the road. The Cowboys are 6-0 at home this season and 0-3 on the road. UNLV is also 8-1 against the spread this year. Will those two trends continue?
SMU a big favorite over North Texas
The other college football game of the evening (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2) has a bigger chance of being a blowout. ACC-bound SMU is a 17-point favorite at home over Metroplex rival North Texas.
Both teams have winning records against the spread this season. The Mean Green are 6-3 against the number, while SMU is 5-4. The Mustangs are on a five-game win streak after a 34-17 loss to TCU in Week 4 and have covered in three of their last four games.
The total here is at 67.5 and it’s the eighth consecutive game for North Texas with an over/under of 60 or higher. The under has hit in four of UNT’s last five games, while the over has hit in SMU’s last three contests.
More NBA in-season tournament action
There are nine NBA games on Friday night’s schedule as the in-season tournament continues.
The biggest spread of the night is the first national TV game. The Boston Celtics are 10.5-point favorites at home against the Brooklyn Nets (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Phoenix Suns are 3.5-point favorites in the second game of the ESPN doubleheader at home against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Overall, there are four games with spreads of just 2.5 points. The Washington Wizards are 2.5-point favorites at home against the Charlotte Hornets; the Houston Rockets are favored at home against the New Orleans Pelicans; the Dallas Mavericks are home favorites in the Los Angeles Clippers’ third game with James Harden; and the Oklahoma City Thunder are favored on the road at the Sacramento Kings.
Who cashed tickets Thursday?
The Carolina Panthers snuck in a cover in a 16-13 road loss to the Bears. The win was good draft news for Chicago as they own Carolina’s pick. But Panthers bettors likely don’t care as Carolina covered a 3.5-point spread as an underdog.
The Indiana Pacers won outright as slight underdogs in a 126-124 victory over a Milwaukee Bucks team without Damian Lillard, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 120-119 in a thriller in Mexico City.
