The Nevada Wolf Pack’s strong start to the 2020 season has had college football bettors howling at the moon, and they’ll hope that continues when they host the Utah State Aggies Friday night.
Nevada is a perfect 2-0 SU/ATS while Utah State is still looking for its first win and cover, but can the Wolf Pack cover the 16.5 points at home in this Mountain West matchup?
Let’s take a look at our best college football predictions for Utah State at Nevada, with kickoff scheduled for Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 ET.
Utah State Aggies at Nevada Wolfpack betting preview
Weather
It will be a nice night for football in the desert. The forecast in Reno is calling for clear skies with temperatures sitting in the mid-50s with minimal wind. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Utah State: No injuries to report.
Nevada: Hamish McClure QB (Questionable), Elijah Cooks WR (Questionable), Moses Landis OL (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Nevada has been a good bet dating back to the latter part of last season, going 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall. Find more NCAA betting trends for Utah State vs. Nevada.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Nevada opened the season with a hard-fought 37-34 road win over Wyoming as 3-point underdogs and followed that up with one-sided victory over rival UNLV, easily covering the 14-point chalk. The Wolf Pack have been led with exceptional quarterback play from Carson Strong.
The junior QB is completing 75.9 percent of his passes for 770 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Romeo Doubs and Cole Turner have been Strong’s big threats on the outside, each with over 11 receptions, 17 yards per catch, and two TDs on the season.
And while Nevada doesn’t run the ball a ton, when they do it's been effective, with its top two backs averaging over five yards per carry.
That doesn’t bode well for a Utah State team that has been outgained by an average of 301 yards per game over its first two contests. The first was a 42-13 beatdown as 17-point dogs at the hands of Boise State, and they followed that up with 38-7 performance as 8.5-point dogs against San Diego State.
Now, those are two of what should be the better defenses in the conference, but the Aggies have shown very little on offense. The Wolf Pack have been solid on defense, but more importantly, there doesn’t seem like any way this Aggies team, averaging a tick over 200 yards per game on offense, can keep up in this one.
PREDICTION: Nevada -16.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
As mentioned, Utah State is struggling to get anything going on offense and it starts at quarterback. QB Jason Shelley is completing just 56.3 percent of his passes and a staggeringly low 3 yards per attempt, and he isn’t getting any support from a run game averaging just 3.1 yards per attempt. As a result, the Aggies have scored just 20 points this season.
Now, the Wolf Pack aren’t the Aztecs when it comes to defense, but they are giving up just 4.7 yards per play through their first two games.
Utah State has gone Over in each of its first two games, but the highest total the Aggies have seen in those games was 51. Now, with a number of 56, it may just be too much for the Aggies to do their part and send this one Over.
PREDICTION: Under 56 (-110)
First Quarter Spread Pick
Nevada has gotten off to good starts this season, outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 17-6 in the first quarter, while Utah State has scored a total of seven points in the first half of both of its games. Take the Wolf Pack on the first-quarter spread.
PREDICTION: Nevada first quarter -6 (-112)
Utah State vs Nevada betting card
- Nevada -16.5 (-110)
- Under 56 (-110)
- Nevada first quarter -6 (-112)
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