By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
Bet on UNLV Rebels football?
On Halloween (which also happened to be Nevada Day)?
Scary prospect.
Which UNLV football team would show up? The one that was humbled by San Diego State, 34-6 in its opener a week ago? Or the one, just when everybody has given up, somehow manages to make a game competitive or even win?
The line for the game at Allegiant Stadium, where 2,000 fans were admitted, opened at UNR -13 and then bounced between -14 and -13 during the week before settling at -13.5. The total closed at 60.
From the casual bettor’s standpoint, it seemed like a difficult game to handicap. The simulations at CBS SportsLine predicted Nevada 38, UNLV 31 in a high-scoring affair. Another simulation at Odds Shark forecast UNR 27, UNLV 18, which would have been under. “Nevada will win, Nevada-Las Vegas will cover, and the total will go under,” the confident forecast read.
Our unofficial “computer” hazarded a guess and called it UNR 35, UNLV 17.
But ultimately, with no clear indicators and limited experience for the season, we decided to pass.
Perhaps a good thing. When the clock expired UNR had won, 37-19. It was a cover for the Wolf Pack and winner for under bettors.
And it was a statement, of sorts, for the Rebel offense, which has mustered only 25 points in its first two games.
“Hats off to Reno and their experience and what they’ve done,” UNLV coach Marcus Arroyo told reporters after the game.
Next up for UNLV is Fresno State on Saturday. The Rebels are +12 with the total at 56.5.
If a Halloween game weren’t frightening enough, the Las Vegas Raiders headed for FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland for a game Sunday with the Browns and an ominous weather forecast that called for rain and high winds.
Another difficult game to handicap though we had a slight lean toward the Browns, who had been play respectably.
Predictions?
CBS SportsLine had it Cleveland 31, Las Vegas 27. Odds Shark chimed in with Browns 35, Raiders 20, an easy cover for the home team.
We punched the buttons on our unofficial “computer” again. After the vacuum tubes stopped flashing, it read Browns 27, Raiders 20.
Of course, the Raiders upset the Browns, 16-6, in an entertaining and largely defensive game played in sharp winds, swirls of snow and sleet.
There was obviously money on the Raiders because the line at Circa went from Raiders +3 to pick’em, then veered back to Raiders +1.5 before kickoff.
“We went back in time to an old school attack,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden told reporters after the game. “We’ll take any win we can get.”
So will Raiders bettors.
Next up for the Raiders are the Los Angeles Chargers. Raiders are +1.5 with the total at 54 for the game on Sunday.
(Our “computer” was actually pretty close on the UNLV game, but obviously not programmed properly for the weather in Cleveland. Either that or the vacuum tubes need replacements. But given the wintry conditions and low-scoring first half, would you have bet under 20.5 at -115 for the second half? That was a winning wager.)
Elsewhere:
— Naoya Inoue defeated Jason Moloney by knockout in round 7 on Saturday for the IBF and WBA bantamweight titles in the bubble at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Not much value on the favorite, however, since Inoue was -1000.
— Clemson, ranked No. 1 in NCAA football, needed a stirring second-half comeback to beat Boston College on Saturday, 34-28. Covering -26.5 was never seriously in the cards. The Tigers, missing quarterback Trevor Lawrence because of COVID-19 issues, are -5.5 vs. Notre Dame this Saturday.
— One of the more intriguing NFL lines on Sunday was the Kansas City Chiefs laying 19.5 points vs. the New York Jets. The Chiefs won — and covered — in a 35-9 victory.
— Pac 12 football returns this weekend with six games. In one game, Utah is -14 vs. Arizona with a total of 55.5 on Saturday. The weather forecast for the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City calls for 40 degrees and snow.