The UCLA Bruins travel to Las Vegas to face the UNLV Rebels Saturday evening, Sept. 6. The 0-1 Bruins opened as a -2.5-favorite, but that number has been moving toward the home side as the weekend hit, settling in at -2 and -1.5 (-115) as of Saturday morning.
Perhaps not overly surprising UNLV money has been showing up as kick-off gets closer. The Bruins looked bloody awful in their season-opener last weekend vs. Utah. There were a number of deflating performances for programs that came into the 2025 season with some heat, just ask Tar Heels fans, but UCLA was right in the center of that mix as well.
All those good vibes after QB Nico Iamaleava bounced on the Vols to come West, were flushed in that disappointing 43-10 truck-job by the Utes. So much for all that talk about taking a “big leap” forward for the Bruins in head coach DeShaun Foster’s second year at the helm. That wasn’t a stumble out of the gate, that was a full-on pratfall.
So I can see people writing them off already, and hence, why Rebel money is showing up. Add in it’s all sunshine and rainbows over at UNLV, who have started 2-0, and not sure you can find a matchup this weekend with a larger “good vibe vs. bad vibe” gap. And I always like to take a good look at these “good vibes vs. bad vibes” matchups.
Me…I don’t think Iamaleava is going to put another dud on the board. This week’s opponent is a step down from what Utah brings, and while I haven’t been the biggest Iamaleava fan, he is a starter that has success in the SEC. His game is going to get better than what we saw Week 1.
I’m also expecting running back Anthony Woods to have a nice day. He looked good last week after missing all of last season, and he should find room vs. this UNLV defense. Also, look for WR Kwazi Gilmer to pop, after an uninspiring 31 yards on three catches to start. Sure the Rebels have put a couple of Ws on the board early, but they did give up 31 points to Idaho State.
I’m looking for the Bruins to bounce-back with a much better performance this weekend, taking care of a team they should beat. There are -1.5s showing up. I see -1.5, -108 at Pinnacle, and -1.5, -115 at a few places. So grab one of you can, but we’ll book this one in at -2, as you can find that everywhere.
Good luck!
College Play: I’m on UCLA -2