Kansas vs. Nevada Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 3

2023 has been rough for the Nevada Wolf Pack. So far in Ken Wilson’s second season as head coach, they are 0-2 and have been outscored 99-20. Last week, it was a 33-6 loss to Idaho. Now, the Kansas Jayhawks and Jalon Daniels will come to town at 2-0. 

Last week, Kansas got Daniels back on the field and he led them to a win over Illinois at home. This will be the first road test for the Jayhawks, but they are big favorites out in Reno. 

Before we dig into the odds, you can use this promo from PointsBet to gear up for the football season. Just sign up below, bet $50 and receive a $150 jersey credit at Fanatics.com. 

Now, here are the odds for Kansas and Nevada. 

Kansas vs. Nevada Odds, Spread and Total

Nevada vs. Kansas Betting Trends

• Nevada is 0-2 ATS
• Nevada is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games
• The OVER is 1-1 in Nevada games
• Kansas is 1-1 ATS
• The OVER is 1-0-1 in Kansas games

Kansas vs. Nevada How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, September 16
• Time: 10:30 PM EST
• Venue: Mackay Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): CBSSN
• Kansas Record: 2-0
• Nevada Record: 0-2

Kansas vs. Nevada Key Players

Kansas

Jalon Daniels, QB: Pretty much every time Jalon Daniels plays, he’s the story of the game. He saw his first action of the year against Illinois and led the Jayhawks to a 34-23 win on the back of a 21/29 day passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He also ran it 11 times for 24 yards. 

Nevada

Jamaal Bell, WR: Bell has accounted for a very large chunk of Nevada’s offense this season. He has 16 of their 42 receptions (38%) and 188 of their 459 receiving yards (41%) with one of their two total touchdowns (50%). Bell averages 11.8 yards per reception, which is skewed by a 77 yard catch, so he does a lot of his work underneath. 

Kansas vs. Nevada Prediction and Pick

The Wolf Pack are in a very bad spot as a program. They have lost 10 straight games and in those games they are 2-8 against the spread. As an offense they are gaining just 4.6 yards per play which ranks 123rd in the country. They are 118th in rushing offense, but they are a pass-first team. The Wolf pack rank 33rd in pass attempts, but 75th in pass yards. 

Nevada is still seemingly deciding between Brendon Lewis and AJ Bianco at quarterback, but neither seems like a great option. Lewis has gotten more of the reps and is only completing 56.6% of his passes for an average of 5.4 yards per attempt. Bianco has the better completion percentage and is averaging 9.1 yards per attempt, but it’s in a much smaller sample. Neither QB will help them stay in this game.

Kansas hasn’t been great against the spread either. In their last 10 games the Jayhawks are 3-6-1 ATS. It’s tough to trust them to cover, but I will in this one because of their offense. Illinois was one of the best defenses in the country last season. They did lose some talent, but what Kansas did in that game, averaging 7.4 yards per play, was staggering. 

With Jalon Daniels at QB the Jayhawks are a dynamic offense and Nevada is clearly no match for some of the better QBs in college football. Daniels isn’t on the level of Caleb Williams, but for example Williams put up 66 points and USC covered by 38. Give me Kansas. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change