With the Group of Six set to have at least one team reach the College Football Playoff, we have a potentially massive matchup set to kick off the 2026 college football season when the Memphis Tigers and UNLV Rebels square off on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 10 p.m. This is the first meeting of a home-and-home series, with the Tigers visiting Las Vegas to kick things off. The Rebels went 10-4 in Dan Mullen's first year at UNLV, making the Mountain West title game before falling to Boise State.
The Tigers are entering Year 1 of the Charles Huff era as the former Marshall and Southern Miss head coach takes over for Ryan Silverfield, who left for Arkansas after leading Memphis to an 8-5 record. Bet on college football games with the latest FanDuel promo code and get $350 in bonus bets: The Rebels are 4.5-point favorites in the latest college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, and the total is sitting at 55.5. Fans who want to try betting on college football can sign up and get betting promos at any of the best sports betting apps to place wagers on Memphis vs.
Here, we're looking at everything bettors should know before the Memphis vs. For even more college football analysis, check out what SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model have to say. Claim the latest DraftKings promo code and get $200 in bonus bets with a $5+ wager now: The Rebels finished last season tied with multiple teams atop the Mountain West at 6-2, and UNLV and Boise State owned the tiebreakers, putting both in the championship game for the third straight year.
The Broncos hosted for the title game and came away with a 38-21 victory for their third straight championship win over UNLV. The Rebels went on to play in the Frisco Bowl, where they lost 17-10 to Ohio to end a run of 35 games when the Rebels scored at least 20 points, which was the longest active streak in the nation at the time. The Rebels' success should run through the offense, and they will need to replace quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who transferred to Nebraska.
Senior Jackson Arnold, a former five-star recruit for Oklahoma, left Auburn to take over a Rebels attack that led the Mountain West in total offense (446.4 yards per game) and scoring (34.0 points per contest). The new signal-caller will have the benefit of a strong rushing attack led by Jai'Den Thomas, who totaled 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Jaylon Glover also played a big role, rushing for 384 yards (6.0 per carry) as the Rebels rushed for 195.5 yards per game in 2025, ranking 23rd in the nation.
Holdovers Taeshaun Lyons (241 yards in 2025) and DeAngelo Irvin Jr. (188) will be joined by Amorion Walker, who had 201 yards at Middle Tennessee after spending most of the previous two years on the sideline at Michigan. The Rebels' offense has six new faces expected to start after transferring in, and there are three transfers among the projected starters on the other side of the ball. The UNLV defense wasn't much to write home about last season, but the offense was able to make its job a little easier.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
