Week 0 saves one of its standout matchups for last, with Memphis and UNLV meeting for the first time ever under the lights at Allegiant Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET on FOX, closing out what’s being called one of the most loaded Week 0 slates in college football history.
Both programs enter with genuine College Football Playoff aspirations out of the Group of Six, adding real stakes to a season opener that would otherwise fly under the radar.
UNLV returns more continuity under second-year head coach Dan Mullen after an unexpected 10-win debut season, and Mullen settled the quarterback question on Thursday, confirming Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold will start over Michigan transfer Alex Orji, with Orji still expected to see the field in relief.
Arnold, a former five-star recruit and Manning Award winner, has completed 63% of his passes for 3,263 yards across stops at Oklahoma and Auburn.
Memphis, meanwhile, is starting over almost entirely under first-year head coach Charles Huff, fielding what amounts to an all-transfer lineup on defense and a backfield led by Ohio State transfer Dallas Hayden.
The Tigers have opened each of their last three seasons 3-0 and will look to make an immediate statement on the road.
Memphis vs UNLV Predictions From Our Supercomputer
Our AI-driven college football supercomputer has weighed roster continuity, the muddled UNLV quarterback situation, and each program’s recent track record to arrive at its verdict for this Week 0 showdown in Las Vegas.
Here are the three best bets it landed on for Memphis vs UNLV.
- UNLV -5.5
- Over 56.5 Total Points
- Jackson Arnold 2+ Passing Touchdowns
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Memphis vs UNLV Prediction 1: UNLV -5.5
- UNLV -5.5 (+101)
UNLV brings the bigger home-field advantage, the more proven star player in running back Jai’Den Thomas, and a roster that returns significantly more continuity than a Memphis team replacing its head coach, both coordinators, and most of its two-deep through the portal.
Memphis has been red-hot to open recent seasons and boasts one of the best red-zone offenses in the country, so this figures to be tighter than a typical 5.5-point spot, but the Rebels getting plus-money on the number is a rare gift for a team many view as the Group of Six’s top playoff contender.
Getting a favorite at plus odds against a first-year staff on the road is difficult to pass up.
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Memphis vs UNLV Prediction 2: Over 56.5 Total Points
- Over 56.5 (-112)
Both offenses have real firepower, and neither defense enters with the kind of continuity that typically keeps a total in check.
Memphis converted better than 93% of its red-zone trips a season ago, the fourth-best mark in the FBS, while UNLV’s attack revolves around Jai’Den Thomas and a deep rushing rotation that should find running room against a Memphis defense still learning a new system under Huff.
Now that Arnold is confirmed as the starter, UNLV also has a clearer, more aggressive passing dimension to pair with that ground game, with Alex Orji still able to add wrinkles in relief.
Throw in the kind of big-play possibilities that come with two programs meeting for the first time, and this profiles as a track meet under the Allegiant Stadium roof.
Fans tracking both programs’ G6 playoff hopes all season can also check the latest College Football Playoff National Championship odds.
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Memphis vs UNLV Prediction 3: Jackson Arnold 2+ Passing Touchdowns
- Jackson Arnold 2+ Passing Touchdowns (+170)
Arnold arrives in Las Vegas with real pedigree, a former five-star recruit and Manning Award winner who has completed 63% of his passes for 3,263 yards across stints at Oklahoma and Auburn.
Now confirmed as UNLV’s Week 0 starter, Arnold gets the first crack at attacking a Memphis secondary that’s still gelling under a first-year staff, with Orji available in relief if needed rather than as a rotating co-starter.
With this shaping up as a potential shootout and UNLV’s offense expected to test the Tigers through the air, multiple touchdown passes from Arnold in his Rebels debut is a live outcome at plus-money.
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