Syracuse vs UNLV Prediction, Odds & Best Bets – Friday Night College Football

• #25 UNLV is now a 6-point favorite over Syracuse in Week 6 College Football action on Friday, October 4
• The Rebels are one of only 10 teams in College Football that are undefeated against the spread
• Don’t miss the updated Syracuse vs UNLV odds and best bets for Friday Night Football below

Not many teams could lose their starting quarterback and then promptly go out and play their best game of the season. That’s what happened to #25 UNLV (4-0, 1-0 Mountain West) last week, and online sportsbooks remain bullish on them for Friday Night when they face Syracuse (3-1, 1-1 ACC).

The Rebels are listed as solid favorites in the College Football odds, after recently moving into the AP top-25 for the first time in program history.

Syracuse vs UNLV Odds

As of Friday morning, UNLV is a 6-point favorite at most books. They opened as 5.5-point favorites, but that number was quickly bet up. At the current spread, the Orange are drawing the bulk of the tickets and handle, but there’s plenty of reasons to buy the Rebels, even at a lofty price.

Kickoff is set for 9:00 pm ET at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV, with FS1 providing the broadcast coverage.

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Odds as of October 4 at 6pm ET. Be sure to check out the best Caesars Sportsbook promos before placing a bet on any Week 6 College Football matchup.

No Sluka, No Problem

UNLV raced out to a 3-0 start behind the strong play of starting QB Matthew Sluka. Then, he abruptly left the team due to a NIL dispute. Almost any other program would take a step back, but the Rebels didn’t miss a beat in Week 5, hammering Fresno State 59-14 as 2.5-point favorites.

With Sluka gone, Hajj-Malik Williams wasted no time winning over the fan base. The sixth-year senior led an unstoppable UNLV attack, throwing three touchdowns while rushing for 119 yards and a score.

Williams broke numerous school records during a decorated career at Campbell, where he appeared in 41 games. He’s the same age as Trevor Lawrence (no, that’s not a typo), and his dual-threat abilities perfectly suit the Rebels’ Go-Go offense with its triple-option concepts.

Hajj-Malik Williams is already better than Matthew Sluka

UNLV will be just fine pic.twitter.com/5hlG8Mmmxk

— The Jump Sports (@TheJumpSports) September 28, 2024

UNLV averaged over 8 yards per play in Week 5 and ranks top-20 in the nation in scoring and points per play. The offense alone would make them a contender for the Group of 5’s automatic bid in the College Football playoff odds, but their defense is no slouch either.

The Rebels forced four turnovers versus Fresno State and are yielding only 2.8 yards per rush. No opponent has scored more than 20 points against them, and three of their four wins have been by a 20+ point margin.

McCord Will Need to be Magnificent

If the Orange are going to stay competitive with UNLV, it will likely fall on Kyle McCord’s shoulders. The Ohio State transfer is among the top-10 in the country in passing yards and touchdowns and is fresh off a 4 TD performance versus Holy Cross.

Syracuse throws the ball at one of the highest rates in the country, but they count on their run game to keep defenses honest. They ran the ball efficiently in each of their three wins but couldn’t gain any traction on the ground in their loss to Stanford.

The Cardinal are a top-16 rush defense in the country, but UNLV is even more stout against the run. If the Rebels can neutralize the Orange’s running game and make them one-dimensional, then the UNLV pass rush can attack.

The Rebels have generated 61 pressures through four games. They’ve turned those into 41 QB hurries and 13 sacks, giving them a 10.3% sack rate, one of the top-10 marks in the country.

Like most quarterbacks, McCord’s production dips when the heat is on. His completion percentage falls below 58% under duress, while his average target depth goes from nearly nine yards to 5.7.

Syracuse vs UNLV Prediction

Syracuse’s defense, meanwhile, is not a unit to fear. They’re allowing 26 points and 388 yards per game, despite not having faced an upper-tier offense. That will change on Friday, and we shouldn’t expect a dip in the UNLV production.

Williams is a natural fit to run the Rebels scheme, and the program looks like the team to beat in the Mountain West. They’ve also covered all four of their games so far, beating the number by at least 12.5 points each time out.

UNLV 2024 ATS Results

UNLV is one of only 10 teams in the country that are still undefeated against the spread. That streak won’t last forever, but this looks like a matchup they can exploit and win by margin. They’ve already beaten two Power 4 opponents this season, and the Orange will be the third.

• Pick: UNLV -6.0 (-110)