Wyoming vs. UNLV odds, props, predictions: Go-Go offense has Rebels running to best ATS record in country

It’s challenging to list, in order of significance, what’s been most impressive about the job Barry Odom has done in his first season in Las Vegas.

The Rebels (7-2, 4-1 Mountain West) shoot for their eighth triumph Friday night at home inside Allegiant Stadium against Wyoming (6-3, 3-2). A 10:45 p.m. ET kickoff that deservedly gives UNLV rare national FS1 exposure. 

It last won eight games in 2000, and its previous high-water mark (outside of an 11-2 season in 1984 that was later vacated by the NCAA) came in 1979, the program’s second season in which it went 9-1-2. 

That UNLV is 8-1 against the spread, tied with Arizona for best in the country, might be the most appropriate indicator of its arrival. And last weekend in New Mexico, no team in the nation was more devastating than UNLV in its 56-14 thumping of the Lobos. In that single game, the Rebels’ points-per-play margin was a cartoonish 0.926.

The Rebels have a nationally rated kicker, punter, receiver and return specialist, and their rookie quarterback from Honolulu, whose suitors included Auburn and Tennessee, stuck it out under the previous regime to absolutely sparkle under Odom’s funky Go-Go Offense. 

That’s a lot to digest, and if it’s too much then you’re likely feeling the same certain queasiness that Cowboys brass have been enduring in trying to figure out how to curb Odom’s up-tempo schemes.

It will be an entertaining show, and we have Wyoming vs. UNLV odds, props and predictions to help enjoy it.

Wyoming at UNLV odds: Point spread, moneyline, total

Here are the latest college football betting odds for the Cowboys vs. Rebels:

Wyoming betting news: Two very different Cowboys squads

At home, the Cowboys are 6-0, winning by an average score of 29-22. On the highway, they’re 0-3, the average defeat being 32-15. They have rabid followers, which might explain that point-spread slice; but we say it’s misguided.

QB Andrew Peasley, who played his first four seasons at Utah State, threw for a season-high 212 yards in a defeat at Air Force. Over the past two weeks, he’s throw three TD passes and two were picked off.

Tailback Harrison Waylee, who started his career at Northern Illinois, has a team-best 686 rushing yards with three TDs. He’s rambled for triple-digit yardage in four of his six games, with a season-high 191 yards on 18 runs at home against New Mexico.

Wyoming might be wise to focus on Waylee early, to establish something. But they’ll have trouble running against a defense that, at home, is among the nation’s best 15 squads against the rush, yielding a paltry 2.8 yards per dash.

UNLV gives up 8.4 yards per pass at home, among the bottom 20 figures in the land. However, the Rebels don’t figure to fear Peasley, who in 20 games at Wyoming has only thrown for 200 yards three times, with a personal best being 256, at home against Tulsa last season.

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UNLV betting news: No time to slow down in Odom’s Go-Go offense

The Rebels paid a dear price going against the Go-Go Offense in 2017, when Howard offensive coordinator Brennan Marion deployed it in arguably the biggest upset in D-I football history.

FCS-member Howard was a 45-point underdog but won, 43-40, in Vegas. Two UNLV coaches later, Odom hired Marion to deploy his multi-option many-faceted offensive schemes on Rebels’ foes, and the results have been fantastic.

It’s up-tempo and features no huddles, multiple running backs in unusual and unbalanced formations, and relies on fast players. It can dizzy opponents and is fun to behold.

“We want fast people that can score in one play,” Odom told the Las Vegas Sun. “We don’t want to have to call 12 perfect plays; we want to call four or five plays, because guys can take it to the house.”

Quarterback Jayden Maiava seems to have mastered it as the Rebels average 35.8 points, 14th in the country. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound QB out of Kaimuki High on Oahu keeps cool as Go-Go options and strategies unwind all around him.

Tailbacks Jai’Den Thomas (385 yards) and Donavyn Lester (388) have both scored eight TDs, Vincent Davis (5.8-yard average on 90 carries) has added four scores. Overall, UNLV is 20th in team rushing, averaging 191 yards.

Receiver Ricky White (six TDs) is 11th in the country with 884 receiving yards. Jacob De Jesus is second in the game in average punt returns (22.1 yards) and 13th in kickoffs (27.8), and he’s contributed 356 aerial yards on 35 catches, with two TDs.

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Wyoming vs. UNLV props

Player props for Wyoming vs. UNLV are tough to find, but DraftKings has some "Race to X Points" props for bettors to consider.

Here's a look at where those odds stand heading into the game:

• Race to 10 points: Wyoming +130; Neither +2800; UNLV -200
• Race to 15 points: Wyoming +145; Neither +1900; UNLV -210
• Race to 20 points: Wyoming +165; Neither +1000; UNLV -195
• Race to 25 points: Wyoming +235; Neither +285; UNLV -130
• Race to 30 points: Wyoming +360; Neither +125; UNLV +125

Wyoming at UNLV prediction ATS

Locals aren’t so accustomed to a dynamic UNLV football team, so that might help explain why attendance in the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium has hit 25,000 only once this season.

Those unfamiliar with this Rebels iteration might be surprised to learn that its brand and style will fit perfectly into a Friday primetime network spot, and its entertainment value will match, if not surpass, anything the Strip has to offer. It doesn’t just win, it wins by margin. And another ticket cashes against Wyoming.

Pick: UNLV -5.5 (current best UNLV line: )