If you’re willing to stay up late on Friday night, you may catch a glimpse of one of the surprise teams of the 2023 college football season.
UNLV is 7-2 and a 4.5-point favorite at home against Wyoming on Friday night (10:45 p.m. ET, FS1). The team’s two losses have come to Michigan and Fresno State, with a combined record of 17-1 as they enter Week 11.
The Rebels are already bowl-eligible with three games remaining in former Missouri head coach Barry Odom’s first season with the team, marking the program’s first bowl appearance since UNLV went 7-5 in the regular season and went to the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
A win as a home favorite Friday night will 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.
UNLV’s stats include averaging nearly 37 points per game and 6.2 yards per play. Freshman QB Jayden Maiava impressively completes 65% of his passes and averages nearly nine yards per attempt.
The program faces two back-to-back games critica. 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. In this regard, a tough task is 8-1 Air Force looming in Week 11 for UNLV.
Match-up wise, the game is the first one of back-to-back games essential for UNLV’s hopes of the Mountain West title game and a strong bowl berth. Both Fresno State and UNLV are 4-1 in the conference. However, Wyoming, with a 6-3 record, has home wins over Texas Tech and Fresno State granting a big challenge for UNLV. Wyoming is vulnerable on the road as they are 6-0 at home this season and 0-3 on the road. UNLV is also 8-1 against the spread this year.
SMU a big favorite over North Texas
SMU, set to play at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 is a 17-point favorite at home over rival North Texas.
Both teams have winning records against the spread this season with the Mean Green at 6-3 and SMU at 5-4. The Mustangs have been on a five-game win streak and have covered in three of their last four games, setting the stage for what could be a compelling contest.
During this match up, the total is at 67.5. Notably, 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, leaving predictions and expectations intriguing.
More NBA in-season tournament action
Friday night’s schedule also includes nine NBA games as the in-season tournament continues, adding to the excitement.
For the national TV games, the largest spread is during the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets match-up. The Celtics are 10.5-point favorites at home against the Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Additionally, the Phoenix Suns are a 3.5-point favorite in the second game of the ESPN doubleheader at home against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Moreover, there are four games with spreads of only 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 against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are favored on the road at the Sacramento Kings.
Who cashed tickets Thursday?
On Thursday, the Panthers managed to sneak in a cover in a 16-13 road loss to the Bears – marking a win for Chicago as they own Carolina’s pick. Fans and bettors alike will likely revel in this underdog victory.
In other exciting matchups, the Indiana Pacers won outright as slight underdogs in a 126-124 victory over a Milwaukee Bucks team without Damian Lillard. And in Mexico City, the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 120-119 in a thrilling game that had everyone on the edge of their seats.
