Week 6 CFB odds, tips, best bets

UNLV has received a lot of attention following the sudden departure of quarterback Matthew Sluka, who left Vegas last week due to what he felt were unfulfilled NIL promises.

While Sluka used his dual-threat ability to lead UNLV to a 3-0 start, the Rebels improved to 4-0 with Hajj-Malik Williams taking over under center last time out.

Williams was the starting quarterback in the spring before Sluka transferred from Holy Cross.

In his first start, Williams led UNLV to a 59-14 victory over Fresno State by completing 13 of 16 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns.

While his performance could help the Rebels forget about Sluka entirely, he may need similar heroics on Friday night to get past a pass-happy Syracuse team.

Syracuse vs UNLV odds

View of Syracuse

The Orange have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. According to CFB Stats, they rank 34th in explosive plays with 25.

Quarterback Kyle McCord, a transfer from Ohio State, is just 10 touchdowns away from surpassing his mark of 24 touchdowns set in 2023.

Landing McCord in the transfer portal was quite a coup for first-year head coach Fran Brown. The two knew each other from McCord's youth football days. Brown knows that getting the best out of McCord is also crucial to his success as a new head coach.

Because the coaching staff is intimately familiar with McCord's strengths, they have been able to develop an offensive game plan to showcase his talents.

UNLV Outlook

UNLV's dominance over Fresno State showed it was ready to leave Sluka behind. Head coach Barry Odom deserves credit for his ability to recruit two quarterbacks with similar traits that fit his style of play.

Although it's only a one-game sample size, UNLV's offense might be better without Sluka, whose biggest strength was running the ball. He rushed for 253 yards on 6.5 yards per carry and has 3,831 rushing yards in his college career.

Despite completing 57.4% of his passes, including his time in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) with Holy Cross, Sluka's completion rate at UNLV dropped to 43.8%.

So Williams delivered an impressive performance in his first start, completing 81.3% of his passes. He also boosted the rushing attack with 12 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown.

UNLV's go-go offense, led by coordinator Brennan Marion, is full of gas all the time. It thrives on multiple formations, tempo, no-huddle and spacing to move the ball around the field.

Syracuse vs. UNLV picks

Given the aggressiveness of both offenses, it's hard to see where the stops will come from in this game. While my initial attempt was to take Syracuse at +6.5, I have to admit that I was thoroughly impressed with this UNLV team.

One thing is clear: Syracuse will not back down to anyone. The Orange have the third highest passing percentage at 63.81% to make up for their inability to run the ball. They rank 89th with a 39.6% rush success rate, which leaves McCord with the responsibility of getting the offense going.

Betting on college football?

The Orange's passing offense will be on full display from the start of the game, increasing the likelihood of scoring points. Their alternate team's point total topping 24.5 points on DraftKings is an intriguing play.

Best Bet: Syracuse ALT team total over 24.5 points (-125, DraftKings)

Why you should trust New York Post Betting

For the New York Post, Michael Arinze hinders most major sports. He has won two 15-leg teasers and a 12-leg parlay in his betting career, which spanned eight games of the Little League World Series. Most recently, he precisely selected the finalists for the 2024 European Championship and the Copa América.