The San Jose State Spartans (3-4, 1-2 Mountain West) travel to meet the UNLV Rebels (0-6, 0-2) Thursday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the San Jose State vs. UNLV odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
The Spartans are coming off a 19-13 overtime loss as 9-point home underdogs against a ranked San Diego State team. The cover snapped an 0-5 against the spread (ATS) skid. QB Nick Starkel (arm injury) hasn’t played since exiting the Western Michigan game Sept. 25. The offense has averaged just 13.5 points per game (PPG) across the past two games.
The Rebels put up a tremendous fight at home against Utah State, falling just 28-24 as 7.5-point underdogs. UNLV might be winless, but it has covered three in a row and five of six overall. The Under is 4-1 across the past five outings.
San Jose State at UNLV odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 5:10 a.m. ET.
- Money line: San Jose State -210 (bet $210 to win $100) | UNLV +170 (bet $100 to win $170)
- Against the spread (ATS): San Jose State -4.5 (-108) | UNLV +4.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 46.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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San Jose State at UNLV odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
San Jose State 27, UNLV 16
Money line
San Jose State (-210) will cost you more than two times your potential return, and that’s risky business. There is no certainty that Starkel will be able to return from his three-game absence. Against a winless UNLV team, the Spartans might not feel the need to risk Starkel aggravating his ailment.
AVOID and look to the spread instead.
Against the spread
SAN JOSE STATE -4.5 (-108) is the play with or without Starkel. QB Nick Nash did a decent enough job as the replacement against New Mexico State, a bad team. He should be able to steer the Spartans offense to the victory if Starkel isn’t quite ready against another bad team.
Over/Under
UNDER 46.5 (-112) is the best bet as the San Jose State D has really picked up the pace while the offense is dealing with an injury to its field general. The Spartans allowed just 19 points in the OT loss to San Diego State, and they held Western Michigan to 23 and Hawaii to just 13. They also did a decent job against USC, yielding just 30 points in the Coliseum.
San Jose State should be able to throw a blanket on this flagging UNLV offense.
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