For Week 0 of college football, the ACC and No. 14 USC took center stage, but don’t sleep on a Group of Six matchup between the Memphis Tigers and UNLV Rebels kicking off on Saturday, August 29, at 10:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
While both teams were left off the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll, Memphis (two) and UNLV (four) received a few votes to crack the rankings. The Tigers and Rebels are each expected to be some of the best Group of Six teams in 2026, giving each program an outside shot to appear in the College Football Playoff.
According to PrizePicks Team Picks, UNLV is the 3.5-point home favorite in Las Vegas, with a 1.51x payout to win vs. Memphis. Below, we’ll break down a Memphis vs. UNLV prediction, capped by player picks for PrizePicks.
Make your Memphis vs. UNLV picks on PrizePicks now!
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Memphis vs. UNLV Prediction, Spread, Over/Under for Week 0
Entering the 2026 season, UNLV is viewed as one of the four main contenders in the Mountain West. In fact, the Rebels feature the lowest payout to win the Mountain West Championship (3.22x), followed by North Dakota State (3.84x)—which is in its first season at the FBS level.
Memphis is also expected to contend in its conference, carrying the third-lowest payout to win the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship (6.25x), trailing Navy (5x) and UTSA (5.55x).
The Tigers are entering a new era, as head coach Ryan Silverfield took a big-time job with the Arkansas Razorbacks in the SEC. Memphis found its replacement in head coach Charles Huff, who helped turn around Southern Mississippi with a 7-5 record last season, compared to a 1-11 finish in 2024.
However, Huff is no longer orchestrating a “turnaround,” as Memphis was above .500 in the last four seasons. Furthermore, the Tigers won a bowl game in three of the past four campaigns.
Just like every team across college football, Memphis brought in a slew of over 50 transfers. South Carolina transfer QB Air Noland and Colorado transfer RB Dallan Hayden were exciting offseason acquisitions.
After finishing as the seventh-best QB prospect in the 2024 class on 247 Sports, Noland may have struck out on his final chance to start in college football, as QB Marcus Stokes has been named the team’s starting signal-caller.
Stokes transferred from West Florida, a Division II school, winning Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year with 3,297 passing yards and 30 TDs in 2025.
Hayden, on the other hand, is expected to have a prominent role in the backfield, as he comes off 326 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per carry in the 2025 season.
UNLV’s transition to 2026 isn’t quite as messy, entering the second year under head coach Dan Mullen. Following nine consecutive losing finishes from 2014 to 2022, the Rebels have enjoyed a prominent turnaround with 9-5, 11-3, and 10-4 records over the last three seasons.
Most importantly, this team returns experience. In fact, five players appeared on the preseason Mountain West All-Conference team: WR Taeshaun Lyons, RB Jai’Den Thomas, C Austin Boyd, DT Lucas Conti, and S Jake Pope.
Ahead of Saturday’s battle, Mullen discussed his intentions to play both QB Jackson Arnold and QB Alex Orji. On Friday, Arnold, the former Oklahoma Sooner and Auburn Tiger, was announced as Week 0’s starter.
Memphis vs. UNLV Spread, Over/Under for Week 0 – Saturday, August 29
Considering the Rebels’ returning talent, they enter Saturday’s game as a 3.5-point favorite vs. Memphis.
Here are the full payouts for Memphis vs. UNLV on PrizePicks Team Picks, including winner payouts, the spread, and over/under.
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Memphis vs. UNLV Prediction on Over/Under for Week 0 – 8/29/26
According to Game on Paper, UNLV was carried by its offense last season, logging 0.12 EPA per play (76th percentile) and allowing 0.13 EPA per play (12th percentile). That was reflected in totaling 33.8 PPG (89th percentile) and conceding 27.8 PPG (43rd percentile) in the 2025 season.
As mentioned, the Rebels have two potential 2026 All-Conference players in WR Taeshaun Lyons and RB Jai’Den Thomas, paired with an offensive line anchored by C Austin Boyd.
Lyons is more of an unknown with only 245 receiving yards over three collegiate seasons, suggesting his stock is from pure talent. However, Thomas is a known commodity who posted 1,036 and 918 rushing yards in his previous two seasons.
After finishing the 2023 cycle as a five-star prospect, Jackson Arnold’s talent in Las Vegas turns heads. However, we can’t ignore his struggles with 57.2 and 57.7 pass grades his last two seasons, via Pro Football Focus.
With that said, leaning on UNLV’s run game that tallied 5.4 yards per rushing attempt (91st percentile) a season ago is the known commodity entering the first game of the season.
Memphis featured a similar identity in 2025, totaling 0.26 EPA per rushing attempt (99th percentile) compared to 0.06 EPA per passing attempt (48th percentile). Of course, widespread changes have hit the Tigers, but the run game could remain prominent, as RB Dallan Hayden is arguably the team’s most talented player, while QB Marcus Stokes takes his first snaps in Division 1 football tonight.
If each team is leaning on the ground, that could slow the game with a bleeding clock. Pair this with new starting QBs, and each offense could stumble out the gate.
Lock in your Memphis vs. UNLV prediction on PrizePicks before tonight’s CFB game.
Memphis vs. UNLV Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks – 8/29/26
Saturday’s top Memphis vs. UNLV picks to target on PrizePicks include RB Dallan Hayden and WR Taeshaun Lyons.
Memphis RB Dallan Hayden vs. UNLV: 60.5 Rush Yards
- Over four seasons in collegiate football, Dallan Hayden has yet to be his team’s feature tailback. The time has finally come with his potential role for the Tigers.
- He managed to log 553 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry over 10 appearances in his true freshman season at Ohio State, but he mostly benefited from garbage time touches against lesser opponents on a loaded Buckeyes squad.
- In his first season with Colorado in 2024, Hayden tallied only 3.1 yards per carry, but he bounced back with arguably his most efficient season by totaling 4.7 yards per rushing attempt last season.
- Keep in mind the Buffaloes finished 87th as a team in PFF’s rush block grade (57.4), as Colorado totaled an alarming 3.5 yards per carry (18th percentile). Yet, Hayden still found a way to be efficient in that environment.
- Now, the Memphis native should benefit from facing weaker competition in the Group of Six, and that begins with UNLV—which surrendered 0.20 EPA per rushing attempt (seventh percentile) last season.
- Hayden reached double-digit carries in only four games in 2025, tallying 4.7 yards per carry and 55.8 rushing yards per game in those contests.
- Considering his 11 rushing attempt projection, Hayden will likely flirt with this rushing yard projection, assuming he can maintain last season’s efficiency.
Add Dallan Hayden to your PrizePicks lineup now.
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UNLV WR Taeshaun Lyons vs. Memphis: 41.5 Receiving Yards
- Taeshaun Lyons appears on the preseason Mountain West All-Conference team, but he reached 40 receiving yards in only two games last season.
- He racked up 241 receiving yards on only 16 catches (15.1 yards per reception), displaying his big-play ability during the 2025 campaign.
- With that said, he’s firmly in boom-or-bust territory entering the 2026 season, proven by a minuscule 1.1 receptions per game a year ago. Lyons has yet to show reliable volume, instead making his noise over a handful of plays.
- UNLV features a new starting QB in Jackson Arnold. How often will the Rebels truly look to push the ball downfield?
- That becomes even more concerning when Arnold completed only 42.3% of 10+ yard passing attempts in 2025.
Add Taeshaun Lyons to your PrizePicks lineup now.
Make Memphis vs. UNLV Picks on PrizePicks
Will UNLV’s returning experience pay off with a season-opening win against Memphis on Saturday night? The Tigers enter a new era under head coach Charles Huff, as they hope to knock off one of the Mountain West’s best.
Don’t wait until kickoff—make your Memphis vs. UNLV picks on PrizePicks Team Picks now. Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in on your predictions if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders—now available in 36 states!
The college football season has arrived, with Week 0 kicking off on Saturday, August 29, and users can make CFB predictions for the upcoming 2026 season, such as the national championship winner, College Football Playoff qualifiers, and win totals, on PrizePicks Team Picks—available in 36 states!
Keep it here with the Playbook for continued CFB picks, predictions, futures, and more as we jump into the 2026 season.
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