UNLV could not person asked for a much consequential mode to unfastened its season.
The Rebels volition invited the Memphis Tigers to Allegiant Stadium connected Saturday successful a Week 0 matchup that volition enactment 2 Group of Five contenders connected nationalist tv and springiness UNLV an contiguous trial successful pursuit of its archetypal College Football Playoff berth.
While the Scarlet and Gray beryllium 39th successful the archetypal AP canvass of the play based connected votes received, their nonconference docket gives them an accidental to rapidly garner nationalist attraction and ascent the rankings. That accidental begins with Memphis.
The Tigers besides received votes successful the archetypal AP poll, entering the play tied for 45th, and person their ain aspirations of competing for a spot successful the expanded CFP.
For UNLV, a triumph would supply an aboriginal résumé boost and a accidental to found itself arsenic 1 of the Group of Five’s apical contenders, portion a nonaccomplishment would instantly enactment the Rebels down the 8 ball.
UNLV would not beryllium eliminated from CFP contention with a Week 0 loss, but its borderline for mistake would shrink considerably.
With different Group of Five programs besides competing for nationalist recognition, the Rebels would person small country for different setback arsenic they navigate the remainder of a docket that lone gets tougher, opening with a roadworthy travel to the Hawaiian Islands successful Week 1 to unfastened a three-game agelong distant from home.
Coach Dan Mullen understands the value of opening the play against a squad with akin aspirations, peculiarly with the matchup taking spot connected a nationalist stage.
“(The game) is huge. We’re talking astir a nationalist crippled successful Week 0 for some teams,” Mullen said. “I cognize for them it’s a large game. You’re going to beryllium connected nationalist tv successful a crippled of playoff implications earlier the play adjacent starts.
“I deliberation it’s a batch of amusive for our guys. It’ll prime up the intensity, and it is large for the city, too. We person the accidental to big a nationalist assemblage shot crippled with their location squad close here. To effort to battalion Allegiant and springiness america that home-field vantage would beryllium a immense deal.”
However, earlier the Rebels tin interest astir however Memphis could impact their CFP résumé, they person to fig retired however to halt the new-look Tigers.
Last season, Memphis finished 8-5, going 4-2 some astatine location and connected the roadworthy and 4-4 successful American Conference play nether manager Ryan Silverfield.
Silverfield departed this offseason to instrumentality implicit astatine Arkansas, leaving the Tigers successful a caller epoch nether erstwhile Marshall and Southern Miss manager Charles Huff.
Huff led a turnaround astatine Southern Miss successful 2025, taking the Golden Eagles from 1-11 successful 2024 to 7-5 successful a azygous season. He antecedently led Marshall from 2021-24, guiding the Thundering Herd to a 2024 Sun Belt title and upsets implicit Notre Dame successful 2022 and Virginia Tech successful 2023.
Despite the coaching change, Memphis returns an discourtesy susceptible of putting unit connected the Rebels from the opening whistle, including a brace of wide receiver transfers from Michigan State successful Alante Brown and Tychaun Chapman.
Chapman totaled 448 yards and 3 touchdowns connected 25 receptions during the Spartans’ 2025 campaign, portion Brown was plagued by injuries earlier returning successful the play finale and returning a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown against Maryland.
The Tigers ranked among the nation’s apical 25 scoring offenses past season, averaging 32.5 points and 411 yards per crippled portion moving astir 70 plays per game.
That accumulation makes Memphis’ discourtesy an contiguous interest for a UNLV defence that volition person to support the Tigers from turning the crippled into a way meet, an country wherever the Rebels struggled astatine times past season, allowing 419 yards and 28 points per game.
For UNLV, the situation volition beryllium limiting Memphis’ quality to make explosive plays portion forcing the Tigers into situations wherever the Rebels tin dictate the gait of the game.
If UNLV tin bash that portion capitalizing connected its opportunities offensively, the Rebels could permission Allegiant Stadium with 1 of the much invaluable early-season wins disposable to a Group of Five program.
If they cannot, the Rebels could find themselves playing catch-up successful the CFP contention earlier the calendar adjacent reaches September.
For a programme that believes it is acceptable to vie for championships, the opportunity, and the challenge, arrives earlier astir of the state has adjacent played its archetypal game.
English (US)·