Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
The UNLV Rebels followed four straight 2 win seasons with a pair of 5 win seasons, but that wasn’t enough to keep Mike Sanford employed. UNLV was tabbed as a team that could surprise in 2009, but a string of blowout losses through the middle of the season doomed their bowl hopes.
And yet, UNLV will again be a team with a chance to improve their league status under new coach Bobby Hauck. The starting QB and RB are among 8 returning offensive starters, while 7 teammates return on the defensive side. That experience will be tested early and often, as the Rebels will have to get to 7 wins since they’re using the 13 game rule (teams that play at Hawaii are free to schedule a 13th game, but must win 7 to be bowl eligible).
Schedule
9/4/2010 vs. Wisconsin
9/11/2010 at Utah
9/18/2010 at Idaho
9/25/2010 vs. New Mexico
10/2/2010 vs. Nevada
10/9/2010 at West Virginia
10/16/2010 at Colorado State
10/30/2010 vs. TCU
11/6/2010 at BYU
11/13/2010 vs. Wyoming
11/18/2010 vs. Air Force
11/27/2010 at San Diego State
12/4/2010 at Hawai’i
The schedule is clearly a big obstacle to the rebuilding process, and a tough draw for the new coach. Wisconsin at home and a trip east to West Virginia are marquee matchups, but even their non-BCS out of conference tilts are tough- Idaho and Nevada were among the WAC’s best last year. TCU and BYU in consecutive weeks just adds insult to injury.
Coaching
Bobby Hauck comes to D-1 after seven years as head coach at Montana, where he won the 1-AA Big Sky Conference every single year, and made the 1-AA playoff finals the last two years (and in 2004). Hauck’s name was attached to several vacancies this offseason, and expectations are high at UNLV.
Rankings
The Mountain West media ranks UNLV 8th, ahead of only New Mexico. The Rebels did not receive any votes in the national polls.
Outlook
If any team needed to mix in a cupcake this year, it was UNLV, but their schedule is brutal given their circumstances. I think another 5 win season is on the horizon, 6 is a possibility but bowl eligibility is a very long shot- they’ll probably be forced to win every non-BCS game they have besides the MWC’s Big 3, and I see that as too tall of a task.
UNLV Connections
RebelNet – Rivals Message Board
Las Vegas Sun- Local coverage of the Rebels