College Football Prediction: Troy Trojans vs. Nevada Wolf Pack
Date: Friday, August 31st
Kickoff Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, Alabama
Spread: Troy -16 BetAnySports
Total: 47.5 MyBookie
Storylines:
- Nevada’s Head Start: The Wolf Pack enter this game with a week of experience under their belts, having already played against SMU. While the outcome of that game remains unknown as of this writing, the experience gained could prove invaluable against an inexperienced Troy team.
- Troy’s New Era: The Trojans are entering a new era under first-year head coach Gerad Parker, who takes over a team with significant roster turnover. The departure of key players and the implementation of new schemes on both offense and defense could lead to early-season growing pains.
- Nevada’s Rebuilding Process: The Wolf Pack are coming off a dismal 2-10 season and have a new head coach in Jeff Choate. While expectations are tempered, any progress under Choate’s leadership will be considered a step in the right direction.
- Contrasting Fortunes: Last season, Troy enjoyed an impressive 11-3 record, while Nevada struggled mightily. However, the significant changes for both teams make last year’s results largely irrelevant.
Prediction & Picks:
This game presents a unique opportunity for Nevada. With a game under their belt and facing a Troy team with limited experience and a new head coach, the Wolf Pack could capitalize on the Trojans’ early-season adjustments. Based on these factors, our picks are:
- Nevada +16: This large spread is based on last season but there are so many new faces for Troy as well as a new coaching staff and schemes.
- Nevada +1st Half: Nevada’s experience and Troy’s potential for early-game struggles make the Wolf Pack an attractive bet to cover the 1st half spread.
- Nevada +1st Quarter: The Wolf Pack could come out strong and take an early lead in the first quarter, capitalizing on Troy’s inexperience. The 1st quarter would be the strongest play of the 3. Again, the game under their belt is huge.
Note:
While our model predicted a dominant Troy win based on last year’s data (38-10), the significant changes for both teams make that prediction unreliable. The picks provided are based on current information and analysis, but the unpredictable nature of early-season college football should always be considered.