ESPN Highlights UNLV As One Of College Football's Most Interesting Teams

Connelly speaks on how the wide range of outcomes and turnover with the program makes them so interesting, "The Rebels lost the head coach responsible for two of their three winning seasons in the past 24 years (Purdue-bound Barry Odom*), and most of the players who had anything to do with that rise are gone, too. Their SP+ rating was 24.3 points higher than their 20-year average last season, which all but screams "REGRESSION FORTHCOMING." ... Damned if they don't remain intriguing, however."

Mullen is a well respected coach with SEC experience who was brought in with the expectation of building UNLV into a powerhouse that could dominate the Mountain West Conference for the foreseeable future after the team re-upped with the conference while other teams, including the Boise State Broncos, will be leaving in 2026. 

The ESPN article touches upon the arrival of Mullen and the new-look Rebels: "In Dan Mullen, they hired a coach with 103 career wins, all in the SEC, and despite its general newness, Mullen's first UNLV roster will feature double-digit former blue-chippers and 20 power-conference transfers."

Lastly, Connelly talks about how UNLV may end up being stuck between being a strong program, but their money issues could end up being a factor: "Mullen, usually a pretty good politician, is saying all the right things about UNLV's facilities and potential. UNLV is acting like a power-conference program, and while debt could become a problem in the long term, this approach is going to be fascinating in the short term."