TCU is favored by a million over UNLV … who ya got?

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 | 9 a.m.

I like talking about gambling — especially since moving here. And the other day, I realized that I haven't done so quite enough in this blog.

But mixing gambling and UNLV football seemed like the appropriate opportunity to do so.

That said, we had a quick few minutes of banter yesterday in the office regarding the line on this weekend's contest in Fort Worth between 3-5 UNLV and 7-0 TCU. The Rebels got a mid-season pick-me-up by beating lowly New Mexico on the road last Saturday. The Horned Frogs, on the other hand, thumped BYU, 38-7, and leap-frogged fellow cinderella candidate Boise State in the latest BCS polls.

As for the line on the game, it opened Sunday at 31 points. It quickly shot up to 36 points by Tuesday morning, and now appears to have settled at 35.

So, obviously, a lot of people are curious.

I have two schools of thought on this one ...

Why TCU can cover: The Horned Frogs need to make statements down the stretch to stay in the voters' good graces. They'd probably never admit it, but they do. So, that said, why let off the gas pedal if they jump out to a huge halftime lead? With their team speed and overall talent level, if TCU wants to drive home a point to the rest of the nation when up big, it's a team that is more than capable.

Why UNLV can cover: For argument's sake, lets say that TCU is up 35-7 at the half. At that point, the Horned Frogs probably play their starters for a chunk of the third quarter, then hand it over to the backups. For example, last season at Sam Boyd Stadium, they led the Rebels 37-7 late in the third quarter when the first-teamers came out. If that happens again, UNLV's offense is probably going to be able to produce a touchdown or two late. That's why UNLV, if it falls behind early, could eek out a cover late.

If I were given some money to throw on this game, I think I'd probably go with UNLV, in all honesty. I don't think TCU coach Gary Patterson is the kind of guy who rubs it in anyone's face just to impress outsiders, and if he does, I bet he thinks the Horned Frogs did enough of that last weekend by blowing out the Cougars.

Now I ask: Who ya got? Answer below, let us get some dialogue going here ...