UNLV and Sam Houston will play their second games of the 2025 college football season on Friday night. Both of these teams played during Week 0 and will look for a better performance than they gave us in their respective openers. Before these non-conference opponents meet on the field in Houston, continue reading to get my UNLV vs Sam Houston prediction.
Our UNLV vs Sam Houston Pick
- Pick: Sam Houston +10
- Confidence: 4/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: UNLV vs Sam Houston
- Date & Time: August 29, 2025, 9:30 PM ET
- Venue: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, TX
- Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
UNLV vs Sam Houston Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|
| UNLV -10 | UNLV -360 / SHSU +280 | 62.5 |
Key Storylines
- UNLV is 1-0 after a win in Week 0. But that win was not pretty. The Rebels needed a fourth quarter comeback to beat Idaho State out of the FCS. The Rebels will try to be better here.
- Sam Houston lost in Week 0 against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The Bearkats were unable to get stops against the high-powered passing attack of Western Kentucky. They will need to be better on defense against UNLV to avoid an 0-2 start.
- Both defenses showed cracks in Week 0. The outcome of this game may hinge on turnovers and third-down stops.
Quarterback Play
- UNLV’s Anthony Colandrea displayed precision passing with 15 completions on 21 pass attempts. He had 195 yards and a touchdown. UNLV also went to Alex Orji for a few passes. Orji primarily enters the game to run the football. He carried the ball six times and scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
- Sam Houston’s Hunter Watson threw for 209 yards but added an interception. He also led the ground attack with 91 yards and one rushing score.
Betting Trends & H2H
- UNLV is 1-0 straight up and 0-1 against the spread.
- Sam Houston is 0-1 both straight up and against the spread after Week 0.
- Both teams went over the total in their first games of the 2025 season.
- This is the first home game of the season for Sam Houston and the first road game for UNLV.
- There is no recent head-to-head history between these teams as Sam Houston is relatively new to FBS and the two have not met yet.
UNLV vs Sam Houston Model Projection
- Score Projection: UNLV 37 – Sam Houston 28
- Win Probability: UNLV 75%, Sam Houston 25%
Final Thoughts
UNLV should win this game when all is said and done. But I’m not sure that there will be smooth sailing for UNLV throughout this matchup. Sam Houston’s dual-threat quarterback should make life tough on the UNLV defense. After UNLV struggled to get defensive stops against Idaho State last week, I’ll gladly lay the points with Sam Houston in their home state in what could be a high-scoring football game.
