Playoff in the forecast? UNLV football announces 2025 schedule

The Mountain West announced its football schedules for the 2025 season on Thursday, locking in UNLV’s dates for the program’s first campaign under new head coach Dan Mullen.

UNLV will kick off its season Aug. 30 at Sam Houston State. They’ll return to Las Vegas for the home opener against UCLA on Sept. 6 at Allegiant Stadium.

A home date against Idaho State is Sept. 13, then Mullen’s squad will wrap non-conference play with a road game at Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 20.

UNLV will have its first bye the following weekend (Sept. 27) before jumping into the Mountain West portion of the schedule at Wyoming on Oct. 4.

As for big games, UNLV will travel to Boise State on Oct. 18 for a rematch of the last two MWC championship bouts, and a Nov. 8 trip to Colorado State could be significant for the 2025 standings.

The regular season will conclude against in-state rival UNR. The Scarlet and Gray have won the past three Fremont Cannon matchups, including last year’s 38-14 blowout victory.

The full schedule and some quick analysis:

UNLV football 2025 schedule

Aug. 30 — at Sam Houston State

Sept. 6 — vs. UCLA

Sept. 13 — vs. Idaho State

Sept. 20 — at Miami (Ohio)

Sept. 27 — BYE

Oct. 4 — at Wyoming

Oct. 11 — vs. Air Force

Oct. 18 — at Boise State

Oct. 25 — BYE

Nov. 1 — vs. New Mexico

Nov. 8 — at Colorado State

Nov. 15 — vs. Utah State

Nov. 22 — vs. Hawaii

Nov. 29 — at UNR

Back to normal

The Mountain West’s one-year joint scheduling agreement with Oregon State and Washington State has expired, so UNLV is back to playing a full complement of eight conference games this year.

It’s still an unbalanced slate, however, meaning UNLV will not face three opponents: Fresno State, San Jose State and San Diego State. Those teams combined to go 9-12 against MWC competition last year, so that’s probably a net neutral result for UNLV.

No easy path

Last year, Colorado State almost snuck into the conference title game by virtue of a fortunate schedule that did not force the Rams to face Boise State or UNLV — the two best teams in the league. UNLV will not be so lucky this year, as they’re scheduled to face Boise State and Colorado State, both away from home.

Throw in a highly-charged, emotional finale at UNR, and it’s a fairly difficult road lineup for Mullen’s first year in this Mountain West.

CFP hopes

UNLV entered last year as a dark horse for the College Football Playoff, and a 3-0 start in nonconference play vaulted them to the top of the bracket projections. The 2025 Scarlet and Gray probably won’t begin the season in such high esteem, but the noncon is navigable enough to set them up for another hot start.

Sam Houston State and Miami (Ohio) are coming off bowl wins and went a combined 19-8 last year, and while Sam Houston lost its head coach, both games will present an opportunity for UNLV to score nice road wins. UCLA wasn’t great in its first year under coach DeShaun Foster but it’s still a Big Ten opponent. FCS opponent Idaho State is the only “cupcake.”

A 4-0 run through nonconference would undoubtedly push UNLV toward the top of the early playoff brackets. From there it would be up to Mullen and his team to make it back to the Mountain West championship game.

Pass protected

It’s probably (definitely) too early for scouting reports, but Sam Houston State and Miami (Ohio) both had elite pass defenses last year, so if Mullen plans to install his throw-heavy scheme he’d better have the Scarlet and Gray ready to roll coming out of training camp.

Sam Houston was No. 18 in opponents’ yards per attempt last year, while Miami was even better, ranking No. 2 in the nation at 5.8 yards. Even UCLA was no slouch, ranking No. 56 against the pass even in the midst of an otherwise disappointing season.

Again, all of those teams have changed drastically in the offseason, especially Sam Houston, which brought in an entirely new coaching staff. But Mullen likes to throw the ball, so those defenses could provide an early test for UNLV.

Mark your calendars

The Mountain West championship game is set for Saturday, Dec. 5. That seems relevant, as UNLV has played in that game each of the past two years (losing both to Boise State).

Could we see the Scarlet and Gray make it three appearances in a row?

Mullen doesn’t believe the team is going to take a step back from last year’s 11-3 record that saw them finish one win away from the College Football Playoff.

“We’re not in a rebuilding situation,” Mullen said. “We’re in a take-the-next-step situation here. I think that attitude with everybody on the team here is already showing.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.