The UNLV football team has opened a season 4-0 in back-to-back years for the first time in program history, but head coach Dan Mullen said this week marks the start of a new season for the Rebels.
UNLV opens Mountain West play at Wyoming on Saturday. The Rebels’ next eight games are against conference foes, including their toughest stretch of games to date: at home against Air Force on Oct. 11, at Boise State on Oct. 18, and, following a bye, at home against New Mexico on Nov. 1.
“The season really kind of starts today,” Mullen told reporters during his weekly press conference on Monday. “This is going to get us into a very different schedule and a very different routine in games that are critical.”
UNLV has lost to Boise State in the Mountain West Championship the past two years. This season will be the Rebels’ last chance to unseat the Broncos as the conference’s top team before Boise State leaves the Mountain West. Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and Utah State are all joining the Pac-12 next season.
The Rebels have to focus on beating Wyoming (2-2) before worrying about all of that, though. And they’re going to have to play a much cleaner game than they did in a 41-38 win over Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 20, especially against what Mullen called one of the best defenses in the Mountain West.
UNLV trailed the RedHawks by as many as 14 points twice in the game. The Rebels gave up both a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 47-yard pick-six in the third quarter and had to score 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
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Wyoming is giving up 18.7 points a game, which ranks No. 2 in the Mountain West, and the Cowboys held an explosive team from Utah to three points in the first half of what turned into a 31-6 loss on Sept. 13.
“They’re a very stout, physical defense up front with the ability to stop the run,” Mullen said. “They’re going to give you a lot of different looks, both fronts and coverages on the back end to try to confuse the quarterback, and they play extremely hard.”
UNLV Football vs. Wyoming Betting Line
UNLV is a 3.5-point college football betting odds favorite at BetMGM as of this writing. The Over/Under is 50.5 points. The moneyline is at -170 for UNLV and +140 for Wyoming.
UNLV vs. Wyoming On TV
The Mountain West Conference game featuring UNLV and Wyoming at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming, will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Wyoming leads the all-time series against UNLV 14-12, but the Rebels won their last meeting 34-14 in 2023. Despite being conference rivals, the programs have played just once since 2020, and this game will be UNLV’s first in Laramie since 2019. Wyoming won that game 53-17.
UNLV vs. Wyoming Prediction
I predict UNLV wins 27-24.
I think this is a trap game for the Rebels. They’re better than Wyoming on paper, I believe, and they have a daunting stretch of upcoming games that could lead to them looking past the Cowboys. That would be a mistake, especially at War Memorial Stadium, where the altitude is one of many things teams have to contend with.
Games between UNLV and Wyoming have historically gone down to the wire. Four of the Rebels’ 18 all-time overtime games have been against the Cowboys, including a 69-66 win in 2016. I expect another photo finish.
UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea has grabbed most of the headlines this year, and for good reason. His steady play is a big reason the Rebels are undefeated, but the running game deserves a lot of credit, too. UNLV ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West with 206.2 rushing yards a game, and its backfield trio of Jai’Den Thomas, Keyvone Lee, and Jaylon Glover is one of the best in the conference.
I anticipate Wyoming will lean on big, physical running back Sam Scott, but don’t be surprised to see quarterback Kaden Anderson go over the top to wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. at some point, too. But I expect this game is going to be close, so the deciding factor may simply be who wins the turnover battle.
