UNLV opens as early favorites against Memphis and Hawaii, prime playoff hurdles

UNLV subordinate observe with the Island Showdown aureate pineapple trophy aft defeating Hawaii 38-10 successful an NCAA shot crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

UNLV shot is expected to contend for an at-large bid successful the 12-team College Football Playoff this season, and the team’s archetypal 2 games — astatine slightest according to oddsmakers — should connection an aboriginal consciousness of whether those hopes clasp up.

The Rebels opened arsenic 4.5-point favorites against visiting Memphis astatine Allegiant Stadium connected Aug. 29, according to Circa Sports, which released lines for the season’s archetypal 2 weeks Tuesday. Within minutes, the enactment moved UNLV to a 6-point favourite against Memphis.

UNLV is simply a slimmer 1.5-point favourite the pursuing week astatine Hawaii connected Sept. 5 — a squad that ever keeps things adjacent against UNLV, peculiarly astatine home.

Both Memphis and Hawaii spot themselves arsenic playoff contenders too, meaning UNLV volition request to beryllium crisp close retired of the gate. Still, the Rebels don’t needfully request a cleanable record to unafraid a playoff spot, Dan Mullen said past week astatine Mountain West Media Days.

And if the Rebels were to past Memphis and Hawaii, their adjacent 2 games are connected the roadworthy — Sept. 12 astatine North Texas and Sept. 26 astatine Akron.

“I surely deliberation with our schedule, if we did spell undefeated, I’d ideate we’d beryllium in,” Mullen said.

William Hill lists UNLV astatine +800 to marque the playoff, the second-best likelihood among Group of Six hopefuls down Boise State’s +500. North Dakota State — a caller Mountain West subordinate playing its archetypal play successful the FBS — besides sits astatine +800, alongside Army, Navy and James Madison, past season’s Group of Five playoff participant. The Group of Six conferences are: the Pac-12, American, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt.

Memphis, meanwhile, is +1200. The Rebels-Memphis matchup is the Fox nationalist crippled of the week, a spotlight UNLV is embracing.

“It’s breathtaking that our (first game) is 1 of the large games successful assemblage shot (that week),” Mullen said. “You are astatine Allegiant Stadium to footwear disconnected the play against Memphis. I mean, that’s a immense game.”

The Rebels study to autumn campy adjacent week. As for the playoffs, the squad isn’t looking that acold up — though it’s surely on the radar of its instrumentality base.

“The extremity is to beryllium a amended squad astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth than the opening of the year,” antiaircraft lineman Lucas Conti said past week astatine the league’s media event.