by Vegas Writer
Thursday, Oct 05, 2023I waited as long as I could to talk about UNLV, not wanting to turn to an easy subject for the lead of this column.
But with all due respect to the rest of the nation - and smaller schools making headlines, such as James Madison or Jacksonville St. - the Rebels are becoming one of the best stories in college football.
First-year coach Barry Odom has done a remarkable job in turning the program around, as UNLV is two games shy of becoming bowl-eligible with a 4-1 mark, the lone loss being a 35-7 defeat in Ann Arbor to second-ranked Michigan.
In the four wins, however, the Rebels have scored 40 or more points in each, an average of 43.2 points per game.
The high-scoring Rebs may have the 113th-ranked pass attack, but they've also played two quarterbacks after starter Doug Brumfield was injured early on. They've made up for it with a rushing game that averages 214 yards per game, 11th best in the nation, while averaging 5.19 yards per carry.
Sure, last year's version of the Rebels was also 4-1, and went on to lose their next six games before winning the regular-season finale against Nevada, 27-22. Too little, too late, as coach Marcus Arroyo was shown the door and UNLV was left out of a bowl game for the ninth straight season and 21st time in 22 years.
So what's different?
Some have said it's Odom's demeanor with the players. Others have said his demeanor with those outside the program allows positivity to infiltrate his team as a whole. Many believe it's a combination of both.
When you combine a massive culture change beginning with attitude and commitment, with an SEC-like atmosphere, and instill confidence, you're going to see change.
Now, with a bye week upon them, the Rebels have time to decompress, soak up their success, and prepare for in-state rival Nevada on Oct. 14. Though the game is in Reno, their normally tough much-hated rival has been one of the worst teams in the nation.
It's probably a good thing the Wolf Pack (0-5) are next on deck, as it'll reignite the Rebels out of their break for another trophy game - they just one the Pineapple Trophy with a win over Hawai'i - and will keep them focused rather than seeing them come out flat.
The game to keep an eye on with this team is when it travels to Fresno State on Oct. 28. The Bulldogs are in the Top 25, and might normally see a cakewalk in UNLV. But the Rebels return home to play Colorado State after their game in Reno and could be heading to Fresno with a wealth of momentum. If I see double digits, I'm jumping on the dog.
With seven games remaining, mark my words, the Rebels are going bowling under Odom.
Here are more College Football Observations heading into Week 6:
FOOTBALL GALORE - Beginning Wednesday, we can take solace in knowing there will be 49 consecutive days with either a college football or NFL game. That's FOURTY-NINE through Nov. 22. This week we got Conference USA, Big 12, and Big 10 weekday games, and the onslaught continues with C-USAction during the week until we get our annual dose of MACtion in November.
RED RIVER FAREWELL - In the game of the week, we have a 5-0 Texas Longhorns team against a 5-0 Oklahoma Sooners squad in the teams' annual Red River Rivalry in Dallas. Only this year's version will meet for the final time as members of the Big 12. It's been the marquee matchup for the conference and dates to 1900. Yes, the rivalry will continue and will soon belong to the SEC, but Saturday will be historic considering both are undefeated in a year the complexion of the league will change after the season.
Save for last year’s 49-0 win by Texas, the Red River Rivalry was decided by eight points or less in the eight previous meetings. Texas is currently -6 1/2 with a total of 60 1/2. Kickoff is scheduled for noon Eastern.
ROUGH START - Speaking of the Big 12, it's been a rude welcoming for the four newcomers, who are a combined 1-7 in conference action. The lone win was by BYU, which topped Cincinnati last week, 35-28. But other than that, it hasn't been pretty. After BYU, which is 1-1 in conference play, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are all 0-2.
The Cougars, Cincinnati and Houston have byes this weekend, while UCF (3-2) travels to play at Kansas (4-1, 1-1) in a game the oddsmakers think might be a close one. The Knights are catching +1 1/2 from Kansas in the 4 p.m. eastern kick, with the total checking in at 65.
CHALK CHECK-IN - Laying between 15 and 19 1/2 points paid off last week, as favorites in that range went 3-0. Across the regular board games, favorites got the best of the underdogs, going 29-22, with four pushes.
Favorites dominated the low-chalk category, covering 15 of the 23 games with lines between 1 and 7 1/2, outside of a couple of pushes.
Every week I'll update you with regular board games (no FCS or added), broken down into different point-spread ranges. There were a few pushes this week and a pk'em game to consider, but through Week 5, favorites are 134-126 with the following breakdown:
1-3 1/2 ............. 25-25
4-7 1/2 ............ 34-28
8-10 1/2 .......;.... 12-11
11-14 1/2 .......... 20-19
15-19 1/2 ........... 13-9
20 and up ...... 30-34
But with all due respect to the rest of the nation - and smaller schools making headlines, such as James Madison or Jacksonville St. - the Rebels are becoming one of the best stories in college football.
First-year coach Barry Odom has done a remarkable job in turning the program around, as UNLV is two games shy of becoming bowl-eligible with a 4-1 mark, the lone loss being a 35-7 defeat in Ann Arbor to second-ranked Michigan.
In the four wins, however, the Rebels have scored 40 or more points in each, an average of 43.2 points per game.
The high-scoring Rebs may have the 113th-ranked pass attack, but they've also played two quarterbacks after starter Doug Brumfield was injured early on. They've made up for it with a rushing game that averages 214 yards per game, 11th best in the nation, while averaging 5.19 yards per carry.
Sure, last year's version of the Rebels was also 4-1, and went on to lose their next six games before winning the regular-season finale against Nevada, 27-22. Too little, too late, as coach Marcus Arroyo was shown the door and UNLV was left out of a bowl game for the ninth straight season and 21st time in 22 years.
So what's different?
Some have said it's Odom's demeanor with the players. Others have said his demeanor with those outside the program allows positivity to infiltrate his team as a whole. Many believe it's a combination of both.
When you combine a massive culture change beginning with attitude and commitment, with an SEC-like atmosphere, and instill confidence, you're going to see change.
Now, with a bye week upon them, the Rebels have time to decompress, soak up their success, and prepare for in-state rival Nevada on Oct. 14. Though the game is in Reno, their normally tough much-hated rival has been one of the worst teams in the nation.
It's probably a good thing the Wolf Pack (0-5) are next on deck, as it'll reignite the Rebels out of their break for another trophy game - they just one the Pineapple Trophy with a win over Hawai'i - and will keep them focused rather than seeing them come out flat.
The game to keep an eye on with this team is when it travels to Fresno State on Oct. 28. The Bulldogs are in the Top 25, and might normally see a cakewalk in UNLV. But the Rebels return home to play Colorado State after their game in Reno and could be heading to Fresno with a wealth of momentum. If I see double digits, I'm jumping on the dog.
With seven games remaining, mark my words, the Rebels are going bowling under Odom.
Here are more College Football Observations heading into Week 6:
FOOTBALL GALORE - Beginning Wednesday, we can take solace in knowing there will be 49 consecutive days with either a college football or NFL game. That's FOURTY-NINE through Nov. 22. This week we got Conference USA, Big 12, and Big 10 weekday games, and the onslaught continues with C-USAction during the week until we get our annual dose of MACtion in November.
RED RIVER FAREWELL - In the game of the week, we have a 5-0 Texas Longhorns team against a 5-0 Oklahoma Sooners squad in the teams' annual Red River Rivalry in Dallas. Only this year's version will meet for the final time as members of the Big 12. It's been the marquee matchup for the conference and dates to 1900. Yes, the rivalry will continue and will soon belong to the SEC, but Saturday will be historic considering both are undefeated in a year the complexion of the league will change after the season.
Save for last year’s 49-0 win by Texas, the Red River Rivalry was decided by eight points or less in the eight previous meetings. Texas is currently -6 1/2 with a total of 60 1/2. Kickoff is scheduled for noon Eastern.
ROUGH START - Speaking of the Big 12, it's been a rude welcoming for the four newcomers, who are a combined 1-7 in conference action. The lone win was by BYU, which topped Cincinnati last week, 35-28. But other than that, it hasn't been pretty. After BYU, which is 1-1 in conference play, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are all 0-2.
The Cougars, Cincinnati and Houston have byes this weekend, while UCF (3-2) travels to play at Kansas (4-1, 1-1) in a game the oddsmakers think might be a close one. The Knights are catching +1 1/2 from Kansas in the 4 p.m. eastern kick, with the total checking in at 65.
CHALK CHECK-IN - Laying between 15 and 19 1/2 points paid off last week, as favorites in that range went 3-0. Across the regular board games, favorites got the best of the underdogs, going 29-22, with four pushes.
Favorites dominated the low-chalk category, covering 15 of the 23 games with lines between 1 and 7 1/2, outside of a couple of pushes.
Every week I'll update you with regular board games (no FCS or added), broken down into different point-spread ranges. There were a few pushes this week and a pk'em game to consider, but through Week 5, favorites are 134-126 with the following breakdown:
1-3 1/2 ............. 25-25
4-7 1/2 ............ 34-28
8-10 1/2 .......;.... 12-11
11-14 1/2 .......... 20-19
15-19 1/2 ........... 13-9
20 and up ...... 30-34
