UNLV vs. Kansas prediction: Week 3 college football odds, picks, best bets

Kansas slipped out of the Associated Press Top 25 after losing to Illinois last week in a game that saw quarterback Jalon Daniels throw three interceptions.

Now, Kansas returns home to host UNLV on Friday night in a rematch of last year’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl, a game won by the Jayhawks in a shootout with nearly 1,000 yards of offense.

Can the Rebels get their revenge, or will Kansas get back on track after a bad Week 2 defeat?

Here is our UNLV vs. Kansas preview, which includes a prediction and pick for the game.

UNLV vs. Kansas odds

UNLV vs. Kansas prediction

The last time these two teams faced off, there were plenty of fireworks.

Quarterback Jason Bean tossed six touchdowns in a 49-36 Kansas victory. 

Of course, both teams look different now, as Bean ran out of eligibility and UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava transferred to USC. 

For Kansas, Daniels is back under center after playing in only 12 games over the past two seasons.

His health is paramount for a Jayhawks team that relies heavily on its offense to compete with top-tier opponents

Joining Daniels as key offensive returners are the team’s top three receivers (Lawrence Arnold, Quentin Skinner and Luke Grimm) and running back (Devin Neal). 

That combination of skill position players, minus Bean, helped them achieve the ninth-highest-graded offense in the country in 2023.

While still shaking off rust, it has been a slow start to the season for Daniels (three touchdowns, four interceptions), but he’s due for a breakout performance soon. 

Until that happens, though, he has Devin Neal, one of the best overall backs in the country, at his disposal.

Neal rushed 14 times for 101 yards against Illinois and could have a big day in store on Friday, as the Rebels ranked 78th in opponent rushing yards per game last season.

Despite losing offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to Penn State, this Jayhawks offense has all the ingredients to be explosive. 

However, new OC Jeff Grimes came under fire for his late-game play-calling against Illinois, mostly for a lack of running plays. Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr. combined for just 21 total carries (two in the fourth quarter) despite averaging almost 7 yards per attempt for the game.

Expect that to change against UNLV, which ranked 91st in the nation last year against the run (171.8 yards per game).

“I have to do a better job of getting them the ball in crunch time, Grimes said this week.

Meanwhile, per PFF, UNLV was graded as the 13th-worst team in coverage in 2023.

However, it spent most of the offseason attempting to address that issue by bringing in safeties Tony Grimes, Jalen Catalon, Jarvis Ware and Kodi DeCambra, and cornerbacks Malik Chavis and La’Vario Wiley. Grimes, Catalon and Chavis are all starting in the Rebels’ revamped secondary

UNLV vs. Kansas pick

The Rebels remain suspect in the secondary after allowing a Utah Tech to score 14 points — both off of long touchdowns through the air. 

And while their run defense looks to be improved (52.5 yards per game on the ground through the first two weeks), the results have come against Houston and FCS opponent Utah Tech.

Betting on College Football?

Kansas has covered in four of its past five home games and is undervalued in the market right now after its loss last week. While I liked the number when it was 6.5 points earlier in the week, I’m still laying the current 8.5 with the Jayhawks in a perfect bounce-back spot.

Pick: Kansas -8.5 (-120, BetMGM)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved a standout 14.1% ROI, cashing 60% of his NBA spread picks and leading Tallysight in its SportsIQ metric.