UNLV caput manager Dan Mullen watches players during shot signifier astatine Rebel Field Thursday, July 30, 2026. Photo by: Steve Marcus
By Ray Brewer (contact)
Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026 | 2 a.m.
For astir of its history, UNLV shot measured occurrence by whether it reached six wins. That barroom is gone.
As the Rebels unfastened the 2026 play August 29 hosting Memphis, they’re being talked astir arsenic a morganatic College Football Playoff team—and for once, that’s not wishful thinking.
CBS Sports projects UNLV arsenic the No. 12 seed successful the 12-team playoff. Las Vegas sportsbooks backmost that optimism: UNLV carries the second-best odds among Group of Six programs to scope the playoff, down lone Boise State and up of contenders similar Memphis, James Madison and North Dakota State.
The respect is earned. UNLV has won 30 games implicit the past 3 seasons, 1 of conscionable 16 programs nationally to deed that people successful that span. For context, this is simply a programme that made lone 4 vessel appearances full earlier this tally began.
This isn’t a one-year mirage. The occurrence has been years successful the making. Here’s however the Rebels got here.
Facilities
It starts with the $34.8 cardinal on-campus signifier installation that opened successful 2019—a wide awesome UNLV was done treating shot arsenic an afterthought.
Then came a caller home. Gone are the days of Sam Boyd Stadium successful eastbound Las Vegas. Games are present played astatine the $2 cardinal Allegiant Stadium, shared with the NFL’s Raiders.
The programme averaged 31,589 fans successful 2024, and portion that dipped to 19,383 past season, it inactive dwarfs the sparse crowds that erstwhile watched two-win teams astatine Sam Boyd.
Coaching
UNLV moved connected from hiring rising assistants similar Marcus Arroyo oregon precocious schoolhouse manager Tony Sanchez, and alternatively took a plaything connected proven Power Four caput coaches.
Current second-year manager Dan Mullen is, successful the eyes of many, moving an SEC-caliber programme successful Las Vegas. ESPN rated him the 14th-best assemblage manager of the past 20 years, heavy weighing his stops astatine Mississippi State and Florida earlier UNLV.
His vocation grounds stands astatine 113-65, a .635 winning percent that would look astatine location connected a Power Four résumé, not a Mountain West one.
Mullen succeeded Barry Odom, who near aft 2 beardown seasons for Purdue. Odom proved UNLV could win, guiding the Rebels to their first-ever nationalist ranking successful 2024.
The roster
If UNLV’s playoff propulsion has a foundation, it’s the roster Mullen has built done the transportation portal—a blend of proven endowment and returning accumulation designed to adjacent the gaps that outgo the Rebels a play ago. They finished 10-2 and mislaid to Boise State successful the league rubric game.
At the halfway of it is backmost Jackson Arnold, a erstwhile five-star enlistee arriving by mode of Auburn and Oklahoma.
He won’t transportation the squad alone; elder moving backmost Jai’Den Thomas returns for different play arsenic the individuality of the discourtesy and 1 of the champion all-purpose backs successful the Group of Six. Thomas is eighth all-time connected the program’s vocation rushing database with 2,457 yards, and 5th with 31 rushing touchdowns.
UNLV had a league-high 5 players connected the preseason All-Mountain West team, including violative lineman Austin Boyd, wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons, antiaircraft lineman Lucas Conti and information Jake Pope.
The schedule
None of that guarantees a playoff berth.
The Group of Six’s automatic bid goes to whichever programme finishes ranked highest, and UNLV inactive has to navigate a docket that includes Memphis followed by 3 consecutive roadworthy games. The crippled aft Memphis mightiness beryllium peculiarly challenging, a September 5 travel to Hawaii, which is expected to situation for the league rubric down erstwhile Bishop Gorman large backmost Micah Alejado.
UNLV besides hosts California (October 3) and travels aboriginal successful the play to look New Mexico (November 14), different Mountain West favorite.
With the playoff buzz building, the large question is whether UNLV needs a cleanable season to fastener up the automatic bid. Mullen doesn’t deliberation so—he argues 1 nonaccomplishment mightiness not descend the Rebels’ chances, saying it depends connected who the nonaccomplishment is against and erstwhile it occurs.
Bottom line: Win the league, and the Rebels person a bully accidental for the playoff.
This communicative primitively appeared successful Las Vegas Weekly.
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