UNLV vs. Idaho State prediction, odds, time: 2025 Week 0 college football picks by expert on 78-58 run

The UNLV Rebels kick off their 2025 season in a Week 0 matchup against the Idaho State Bengals on Saturday. UNLV enters the matchup with a new coaching staff, led by head coach Dan Mullen. The Bengals, who finished 5-7 in 2024, placed sixth in the Big Sky at 3-5. The Rebels, who placed second in the Mountain West at 6-1 last season, were 11-3 overall.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. UNLV is 3-0 all-time against Idaho State. The Rebels are 25.5-point favorites in the latest Idaho State vs. UNLV odds, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 63.5. Before making any Idaho State vs. UNLV picks, be sure to see what SportsLine expert Eric Cohen has to say. New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets instantly plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket:

A former Phoenix sports radio host and TV analyst, Cohen joined SportsLine in 2022 and quickly became a fixture on “Early Edge” programming. He hosts the “Early Edge” weekly college football preview, in addition to NFL and golf shows, and has delivered CFB winners at a nearly 60 percent clip. Over the past two seasons, Cohen was 78-58 on 136 college football picks in 2024, returning $1,442 to $100 players.    

Now, Cohen has set his sights on Idaho State vs. UNLV and just locked in his picks and college football predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for Idaho State vs. UNLV:

Why UNLV can win

Junior transfer Anthony Colandrea is expected to start at quarterback for the Rebels. He played his first two seasons at Virginia, starting 17 of his 19 games played. In 11 games for the Cavaliers, he completed 198 of 320 passes (61.9%) for 2,125 yards and 13 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He also rushed 128 times for 277 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior Jai’Den Thomas returns as the team’s top running back. Named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, he led the Rebels in rushing in 2024 by carrying 164 times for 918 yards (5.6 average) and seven touchdowns. He also caught 11 passes for 91 yards (8.3 average) and one touchdown. He rushed for 12 touchdowns his freshman year on 108 carries for 503 yards. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

Why Idaho State can win

Junior Jordan Cooke takes over as the starting quarterback for the Bengals. He played in one game a year ago, completing 9 of 20 passes in a game against Oregon State before redshirting the rest of 2024. In 2023, he joined Idaho State after transferring from Diablo Valley Community College. He led the Bengals in passing that year, completing 209 of 355 passes (58.9%) for 2,453 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Senior running back Dason Brooks is Idaho State’s top returning rusher. He carried 80 times for 506 yards (6.3 average) and four touchdowns. He also caught seven passes for 60 yards (8.6 average). In a 38-28 win over Southern Utah on Sept. 21, he carried eight times for 136 yards and one touchdown. See which team to back at SportsLine, and new users can also check out the latest bet365 bonus code to get $200 in bonus bets after placing a $5 bet:

How to make Idaho State vs. UNLV picks

Cohen is leaning Under on the total. He also says there’s a critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread hit hard. Find out what it is at SportsLine.

Who wins Idaho State vs. UNLV, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back?. You can head to SportsLine to see his Idaho State vs. UNLV picks. Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the expert that has crushed his college football picks, and find out.