Nevada at New Mexico State: NCAAF Best Bets For Week 0

Nevada Wolfpack

The Nevada Wolfpack football program is going through some tough times right now. Head coach Jay Norvell took off for the Colorado State job, which is actually a pretty big slap in the face to the program since that isn't some big-time school hiring him away. In fact, you could argue that he actually downgraded. But, money can lure away even the most loyal people.

Even worse for Nevada, Norvell took half the roster with him through the transfer portal, so this is a team that is in complete transition right now. This is not going to be an easy overhaul to recover from, and it is going to take a bit of time to rebuild the program. Ken Wilson has been tapped to do just that as the new head man for the Wolfpack. He's a first-time head coach, but has been a key assistant and linebackers coach for over 20 years in college football. He'll have his work cut out for him, and he'll most likely have one of the most inexperienced groups in the sport this season.

New Mexico State Aggies

For New Mexico State, they are moving in the opposite direction. There is actually hope for once that the program will be good in the near future, which is saying something. They will join Conference USA next year, and they have a new head coach that has won every where he has gone. Jerry Kill is a fantastic guy for the job, and the only reason he isn't still head coach at Minnesota is medical issues. He's been an assistant since then, but still has kept that winning attitude.

Now, he will face his biggest challenge yet. He takes over for a program that won more than three games just once since 2011 and enjoyed one winning season since 2002. They have pieces to build on, and the offensive line and running attack should be the strength of this team in 2022. However, this is still going to be a process and there are no easy answers. This season will be more about building for future seasons and setting a foundation on what this team wants to become in the future.

Nevada-New Mexico State Prediction

Nevada is a huge -12.5 favorite in this game, but is that really warranted with how inexperienced and new this team is? We all know that NM State has been horrible for years, but they are on the right track, while the Wolfpack have been derailed. This is a tough one that I probably wouldn't bet if I'm being honest, but if I had to, I would take the points with the Aggies.