Our side
MoneylineNEV to win
ours 36%
Projected score
27–25
NEV – UTEP
2026-10-10 · kickoff TBD
Sun Bowl · El Paso, TX
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
Series
Nevada lead
3–1
· 4 meetings since 2000
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
edge UTEP Miners
120 ranks
Nevada Wolf Pack #179 rush offense
UTEP Miners #59 run defense
Pass game
edge UTEP Miners
149 ranks
Nevada Wolf Pack #263 pass offense
UTEP Miners #114 pass defense
Run game
edge UTEP Miners
73 ranks
UTEP Miners #177 rush offense
Nevada Wolf Pack #250 run defense
Pass game
edge Nevada Wolf Pack
135 ranks
UTEP Miners #250 pass offense
Nevada Wolf Pack #115 pass defense
Nevada Wolf Pack
Run-heavy · 64% run
Ball-control
UTEP Miners
Balanced · 50% run
Avg pace
Dual-threat QB · 44 rush ypg
Jeff Choate · 6-19
Scotty Walden · 6-22 · defense-minded
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
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
UTEP Miners
TE
Cash Cheeks
3 rec · 51 yds · 2 TD
#55 TE
QB
EJ Colson Jr.
291 pass yds · 4 TD · 0 INT
#73 QB
RB
Tavorus Jones
128 rush yds · 1 TD · 4 rec
#205 RB
DL
Derek Burns
4 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL
#516 DL
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
Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).
Where the number comes from
Nevada offense vs UTEP defense-0.9 pts
UTEP offense vs Nevada defense-8.5 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 918 mi
Rest · context onlyAway team on 7 more days rest
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.