Mountain West Football: 12 most important 2017 non-conference games
By Zach Bigalke
Under Tony Sanchez, formerly of high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman, the Rebels have made slow and steady progress toward MWC relevance. They will be moving into a new state-of-the-art facility in a few years thanks to the Raiders’ relocation from the Bay Area. Now, more than anything, they need to do something to put the program back into the national discussion.
Nothing would do that more thoroughly than giving Ohio State a scare when they go to Columbus on Sept. 23. No other team on their schedule comes close to providing a statement opportunity. And the beautiful thing for Sanchez is that UNLV doesn’t even have to defeat the Buckeyes on the road. If they could even keep the score within single digits, it would be enough of a statement both for the Rebels and more generally throughout college football.
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The team has been trending upward, and in year three of Sanchez’s tenure with UNLV the time has come to make waves. If they get to bowl eligibility this season, the mere fact that they played Ohio State could work in their favor. If bowls see them more as a 7-5 level of program than a true 6-6, they could move up the MWC bowl pecking order.