Prediction, Game Preview, and Odds for Syracuse vs. UNLV

Could UNLV make a huge step forward in their quest to be the best Group of Five team in the College Football Playoff?

To get there, it needs to win the Mountain West, but beating a Power Four team for the second time (Houston was the first) would be huge.

This is Syracuse’s first game away from home since Fran Brown took over as coach. They have been good in the first month. It gets worse: this is the first of five road games in six days. Next up is NC State in the ACC.

Syracuse vs UNLV Preview

Syracuse vs UNLV How to Watch
Date: Saturday, Friday, October 4, 2024
Game Time: 9:00 pm ET
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
How to Watch: FS1
UNLV (4-0), Syracuse (3-1)

Why Syracuse Will Win

Too many hits have been made on the UNLV defence.

If you look at the defence as a whole, it bends but does not break. But against Fresno State, it gave up over 300 yards, and this passing game should be its worst day of the season.

Kyle McCord has been great. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in all of his games since leaving Ohio State as a starter.

He will keep throwing the ball around the yard, and he should hit down the field much better than anyone UNLV has seen so far. But the picks need to slow down—four in the last two games.

The defence is not putting constant pressure on, but it will work against…

Why UNLV Will Win

Considering the light, that worked out just fine.

After all the drama with Matthew Sluka, the former UNLV quarterback who quit after a NIL dispute, Hajj-Malik Williams came in as a dual-threat playmaker.

In the 59-14 win over Fresno State, he completed 13 of 16 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 119 yards and a score.

The important thing is the success rate; it was good with the new guy.

The UNLV defence, which has one of the best pass rushes in the country, continues to make a lot of big plays.

All the pressure makes it great on third downs, and that is going to be a big problem for Syracuse’s offensive line, which is better than it was last year but still not sure what it will do.

Syracuse vs UNLV: Who Will Win

The UNLV pass rush will take over in a fun back-and-forth game with more offense than Barry Odom’s club has seen all year.

Both offenses will be terrific, McCord and Williams will put up the big plays, and in the end, UNLV will get to Syracuse’s guy a bit more than the other way around.

This will be a great way to lead into your college football Saturday.

Welcome to 5-0 for the first time ever, UNLV.