The UNLV football team moved up in the national rankings after a gritty win at San Jose State on Friday. More importantly, the Rebels now have a clear path to the Mountain West championship game.
The Rebels are 21st in the The Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today coaches poll that were released Sunday, a program high. UNLV was No. 23 in both polls last week.
A winning hand đ pic.twitter.com/4NQapE7H3H
â UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) November 24, 2024
The good news started for UNLV (9-2, 5-1 Mountain West) on Saturday night when Fresno State defeated Colorado State 28-22. That loss dropped the Rams (7-4, 5-1) into a tie with the Rebels for second place in the conference behind Boise State (10-1, 7-0).
UNLV owns the tiebreaker over Colorado State, so the Rebels need only to win Saturday against UNR at Allegiant Stadium to earn a rematch with the Broncos in the Mountain West championship game Dec. 6 at Boise, Idaho.
Boise State defeated UNLV 29-24 on Oct. 25.
UNLV made its all-time debut in the national rankings in September, but dropped out after a 44-41 overtime loss to Syracuse on Oct. 4. The Rebels returned to the rankings last week.
Boise State is the only other ranked Mountain West team. After coming in at No. 12 in The Associated Press poll and No. 13 in the USA Today poll last week, the Broncos advanced to No. 11 in both polls this week.
Late Saturday in Fresno, California, Mikey Keene threw two touchdown passes, Bryson Donelson had a career-high 150 yards rushing, and Fresno State beat Colorado State to give UNLV the help it needed.
UNLV owns the tiebreaker over the Rams because Mountain West rules say the advantage goes to the team with the highest College Football Playoff ranking since there was no head-to-head matchup this season.
UNLV made its first-ever appearance in the CFP rankings last week, debuting at No. 24. Colorado State was unranked.
If neither team is in the CFP rankings, the Rebels should still have a clear edge in the results-based computer metrics that serve as the second tiebreaker.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
