← Matchups

Western Kentucky

CUSA · 0-2 · power -0.2 · #186
Our numberNEV -7.5 no book has priced this game

Nevada

MWC · 1-1 · power +5.6 · #116
Final WKU 14 · NEV 49 ML L Spread W Total L our logged sides, graded on the record
Our side
MoneylineWKU to win logged live now: NEV to win — the pick stands, the number moved · ours 66%

Our number: WKU by 8.0 — WKU to win.

WKU team totalWKU over 26.5 logged live now: WKU under 26.5 — the pick stands, the number moved · ours 24.0

Our number: WKU 28.1, from our margin and total split into two scores.

Projected score 24–32 WKU – NEV
2026-09-05 · 10:30 PM Mackay Stadium · Reno, NV Early season

The books 5 account books · tap any price — the ticket builds at that book

Book WKU spreadNEV spread OverUnder WKU winNEV win WKU TT overWKU TT under NEV TT overNEV TT under
DraftKings
FanDuel
BetMGM
ESPN Bet
Caesars

The gold price is the best available on that side; a gold marks the side our number implies — a read, not a pick. TT is a team total — that team’s own points, not the game’s; columns are empty where no book hangs one. Send to book opens whichever book you tapped, not the one we would have picked. Prices are the books’ own.

Public vs booksbets vs money · Action Network captured in-game spread WKU 74% bets · 58% money total Under 87% bets · 80% money ML WKU 85% bets · 39% money · money NEV
Series Western Kentucky lead 1–0 · 1 meeting since 2025
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 105 ranks
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers #145 rush offense Nevada Wolf Pack #250 run defense
Pass game even 20 ranks apart
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers #135 pass offense Nevada Wolf Pack #115 pass defense
Run game edge Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 58 ranks
Nevada Wolf Pack #179 rush offense Western Kentucky Hilltoppers #121 run defense
Pass game edge Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 187 ranks
Nevada Wolf Pack #263 pass offense Western Kentucky Hilltoppers #76 pass defense
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Balanced · 49% run Avg pace Nevada Wolf Pack Run-heavy · 64% run Ball-control
Tyson Helton · 57-36 Jeff Choate · 6-19

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
RB Ajay Allen 121 rush yds · 2 TD · 3 rec #106 RB
DB Justin Brown 9 tkl · 1 INT #319 DB
TE Coleson Arends 2 rec · 18 yds · 1 TD #92 TE
DB Jaylen Lewis 13 tkl #491 DB
Nevada Wolf Pack
DL Dylan LaBarbera 15 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.5 TFL #16 DL
LB EJ Smith 24 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #13 LB
RB Dominic Kelley 236 rush yds · 2 TD · 1 rec #53 RB
LB Jeremy Naborne-Owens 14 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.0 TFL #150 LB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Western Kentucky HilltoppersCUSA -0.2 +5.5 -5.6 #186
Nevada Wolf PackMWC +5.6 -3.4 +8.9 #116

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Western Kentucky offense vs Nevada defense-3.5 pts
Nevada offense vs Western Kentucky defense+2.3 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 1,808 mi
Altitude · context only1,252 m higher than the visitor's home elevation

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.