The Colorado State Rams (5-3, 3-0 MWC) travel to Reno, Nevada, to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack (3-6, 0-3) in Mountain West Conference action on Saturday, Nov. 2. The game kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on CBS Sports Network.
Colorado State has won 3 straight games and is coming off a 17-6 victory over New Mexico despite the recent news that star wide receiver Tory Horton will miss the rest of the season with an injury.
Nevada, meanwhile, has lost two in a row, including a 34-13 shellacking on the island against Hawaii last week.
The Rams are listed as 2.5-point favorites in this contest with an over/under set at 45. So, where does the betting value lie for Saturday's Mountain West matchup?
Let's dive into my Colorado State vs. Nevada predictions and college football picks for Saturday, Nov. 2.
Colorado State vs Nevada Odds
| Colorado State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2 -110 | 45 -110 / -110 | -125 |
| Nevada Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2 -110 | 45 -110 / -110 | +105 |
- Colorado State vs Nevada Point Spread: Colorado State -2.5 (-105) · Nevada +2.5 (-115)
- Colorado State vs Nevada Over/Under: 45.5
- Colorado State vs Nevada Moneyline: Colorado State -125 · Nevada +104
Colorado State vs Nevada Picks and Predictions
Prediction
My Nevada vs Colorado State best bet is on the Wolf Pack to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at FanDuel, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Spread
Colorado State vs. Nevada Pick: Nevada +2.5
Over/Under
PASS
Moneyline
PASS
Colorado State Rams vs Nevada Wolf Pack College Football Preview
Nevada Wolf Pack Betting Preview: Run-Heavy In Recent Weeks
Colorado State was victorious last week in a 17-6 home win over New Mexico. Despite allowing 453 total yards, the Rams won the turnover battle, 4-0, and remarkably held the Lobos out of the end zone.
Offensively, Colorado State moved the ball on the ground with Avery Morrow and Justin Marshall carrying the load.
The passing game did feel the absence of Horton, who's out for the season due to an injury that requires surgery.
Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi completed just 11-of-20 passes for 142 yards, as the Rams have gone run-heavy in recent weeks.
The aerial attack will have its work cut out again this week, as Nevada has big, physical cornerbacks and has done well to severely limit explosives in the passing game all season.
Colorado State Rams Betting Preview: Need Key Players Back
Nevada comes in off of a tough road loss at Hawaii last week. The Wolf Pack were without starting quarterback Brendon Lewis, and starting running back Savion Red was hurt on the second drive of the game.
The banged-up offense turned to Chubba Purdy and AJ Bianco, who shared snaps but struggled to get anything going in the first half, as the Pack faced a 17-0 deficit at half.
Nevada was stopped on downs inside the Hawaii 40-yard line twice in the first half, as the inexperience at quarterback really cost the Wolf Pack in key situations.
Nevada struggled defensively to contain Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager, who used his legs to extend drives. Schager finished with 153 passing yards and 120 rushing yards with four rushing touchdowns on the night.
Penalties also hampered the effort for Nevada, as the Pack were flagged 12 times for 105 yards, extending Hawaii drives that would result in scores several times.
Nevada lists both Red and Lewis on the depth chart this week, and these two should provide a much-needed jolt to the offense.
Colorado State vs Nevada Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Colorado State and Nevada match up statistically:
Colorado State Offense vs. Nevada Defense
 | Offense |  Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 47 | 113 | |
| Line Yards | 89 | 78 | |
| Pass Success | 99 | 55 | |
| Havoc | 80 | 76 |  |
| Finishing Drives | 107 | 101 | |
| Quality Drives | 80 | 123 | |
Nevada Offense vs. Colorado State Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 32 | 54 | |
| Line Yards | 56 | 59 | |
| Pass Success | 69 | 94 | |
| Havoc | 39 | 45 | |
| Finishing Drives | 58 | 74 | |
| Quality Drives | 31 | 66 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 42 | 133 |
| PFF Coverage | 77 | 44 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 80 | 124 |
| Middle 8 | 99 | 60 |
| Seconds per Play | 28.7 (104) | 29.9 (123) |
| Rush Rate | 58% (27) | 59% (34) |
How To Make College Football Picks For My Colorado State vs Nevada Prediction
I like Nevada getting 2.5 points at home this week.
Nevada head coach Jeff Choate talked all week about this game being a must-win for his football team.
Oftentimes at this point in the season, teams can re-assess where they are at and work to build for the future. Choate is not approaching this game with that mindset.
He talked all week about discipline in terms of fixing the penalties and players controlling emotions. I like the mindset Nevada is taking going into this matchup, and getting back key players on offense will really help the output this week.
On the field Nevada will have to focus on run keys in order to stop a now run-heavy Colorado State offense. The CSU pass game is not overly threatening here, and the Rams have run the ball nearly twice as much as they've thrown it over the last several weeks.
The Rams have very little big-play juice, ranking just 109th nationally in Offensive Explosiveness. Colorado State struggles when it comes to allowing Havoc on offense, ranking just 109th nationally.
The Rams are going to have to rely on finding success on the ground consistently to stay on the field. Without the threat of downfield passing explosiveness, Nevada should be able to load the box and keep Colorado State in unfavorable third-down situations.
Offensively, the return of Lewis for Nevada will allow for more of the offensive game plan to be unlocked compared to what we saw rolled out there against Hawaii.
Lewis is an accurate passer, completing 67% of his throws with 10 touchdowns while adding a run threat.
Nevada should be able to pass against this Ram secondary, which ranks just 120th nationally in Defensive EPA Per Pass and 125th in Defensive Pass Play Explosiveness allowed.
Overall, the Rams are just 120th in Defensive Success Rate allowed and 130th in Defensive Finishing Drives. The Wolf Pack have scored points on 27-of-28 red-zone trips this season with 24 of those drives ending with touchdowns.
With the urgency and intensity ramped up this week and the boost of key players returning for Nevada, I can see a much stronger performance than what we saw last week on the island at Hawaii.
Nevada gets a rebound win here.
Pick: Nevada +2.5 (-118, FanDuel)
Colorado State vs Nevada Start Time, TV Channel, How to Watch
| Location: | Mackay Stadium, Reno, NV |
| Date: | Saturday, Nov. 2 |
| Kickoff Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | CBS Sports Network |
Colorado State vs Nevada will be played at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on CBS Sports Network.
Nevada vs Colorado State Betting Trends
- 78% of bets and 96% of the money on the moneyline are on Colorado St to win outright
- 72% of bets and 63% of the money are on the over
Betting trends via our live, updating NCAAF public betting & money percentages page.
Nevada vs Colorado State Weather
