Again, UNLV was one of the top teams in the Mountain West last season. But the Rebels couldn’t quite get past Boise State.
They opened the 2024 campaign with four straight wins, including two victories over Power Four opponents Houston and Kansas. They also just barely lost to Syracuse, 44-41 in overtime.
UNLV won each of its other games – except against Boise State. The Rebels went 6-1 in conference play with their only loss being a 29-24 defeat against Boise State at home. Then they had another shot at the Broncos in the Mountain West Championship, but Boise State beat UNLV again, 21-7. The Rebels closed the season with a 24-13 win over Cal in the LA Bowl.
But former head coach Barry Odom is now at Purdue, and Dan Mullen is leading the program. Still, UNLV is expecting to compete for a Mountain West Championship again in 2025.
UNLV Football’s Mountain West Title Betting Odds
UNLV’s odds to win the Mountain West are +700, via BetMGM. The team’s odds of making the conference title game are +200.
The Rebels’ odds of making the College Football Playoff are +1800.
UNLV Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
UNLV’s win total Over/Under is 8.5, with Under 8.5 at -135 and Over 8.5 at +115.
UNLV Football’s 2025 Schedule
Aug. 29 @ Sam Houston
Sept. 6 vs. UCLA
Sept. 13 vs. Idaho State
Sept. 20 @ Miami (Ohio)
Oct. 4 @ Wyoming
Oct. 11 vs. Air Force
Oct. 18 @ Boise State
Nov. 1 vs. New Mexico
Nov. 8 @ Colorado State
Nov. 15 vs. Utah State
Nov. 21 vs. Hawaii
Nov. 29 @ Nevada
Dec. 5 Mountain West Championship
Bold indicates Mountain West contests
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Key UNLV Football Returners
2024 All-Mountain West 2nd Team
RB Jai’Den Thomas
UNLV Football Looking To Replace Stars On Offense & Defense
With a coaching change often comes a roster overhaul. And of UNLV’s 17 all-conference performers from last season, only one is back.
That one all-conference player returning is Jai’Den Thomas. The All-Mountain West second-team running back ran for a team-high 918 yards to go with seven touchdowns on the ground.
Hajj-Malik Williams is gone after he became the starter at quarterback for the Rebels last year when Matthew Sluka stepped away from the team. Williams made the all-conference second team after passing for 1,941 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions on a 59.5% completion percentage and rushing for 851 yards and a team-high nine scores.
Virginia transfer Anthony Colandrea and Michigan transfer Alex Orji are expected to compete for the starting job. Over the past three years, Orji played in 20 games with three starts in 2024 and threw for 155 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 392 yards and four scores. Colandrea threw for 4,083 yards and 26 touchdowns and ran for 502 yards and two scores while starting 17 games the past two years.
Ricky White III and Jacob De Jesus, UNLV’s top two receivers last year, are gone. White was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks and De Jesus went to Cal. Jaden Bradley is the only UNLV player who tallied at least 100 receiving yards and is still on the roster after catching nine passes for 173 yards and a TD in 2024.
The Rebels will also be without 17 of their top 18 tacklers from last year, as players like G5 All-Americans Jackson Woodard and Jalen Catalon are gone. Linebacker Marsel McDuffie is that one player back after totaling 46 tackles, 7.5 for loss, as well as two sacks and four pass breakups.
But where UNLV has hope is that the Rebels have the top-rated recruiting class in the Mountain West, according to 247 Sports. They added plenty of new players, including at quarterback. So while they may be a different team this year, they still have a chance to be one of the top programs in the league once again.
UNLV Football Season Prediction
I predict UNLV won’t win the Mountain West but will go Over 8.5 wins.
Expecting Dan Mullen to come in, after being out of coaching for a couple years, and lead this team to a conference championship is unrealistic in my opinion. But the Rebels are still in a great position as a program.
It’s very possible UNLV is favored in all but two of its games this year. The Rebels face UCLA early in the season – though even that is a winnable contest considering it’s at UNLV – and go to Boise State this year.
But even if I were to account for two losses there, I don’t expect UNLV will lose any other games during the regular season. It’s possible the Rebels slip up once more elsewhere, possibly at Colorado State or against Utah State in November, but that would still put UNLV at nine wins.
That could be enough to put the Rebels back in the Mountain West Championship. And another chance to win a conference title would be impressive following a coaching change.
