ESPN Ranks UNLV No. 2 In Mountain West Ahead Of Dan Mullen’s First Season

Originally posted on UNLV Rebels on SI
By Mark Morales-Smith | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 4:33 PM ET

Like many experts, Bill Connelly of ESPN is both intrigued and torn by what the UNLV Rebels football team could be this season. With the exit of former head coach Barry Odom and the hiring of new head coach Dan Mullen, combined with a massive roster overhaul in which the program both added and lost key pieces, the questions are valid. The analyst went as far to say that, "After an almost complete roster teardown (the second in three years), UNLV could be just about anything in 2025."

* Boise State has the most talent AND the most continuity. Uh oh.
* UNLV could be absolutely anything this year
* SJSU: darkhorse?
* Air Force bounceback season, ahoy!
* LOTS of Year Zeroes (and pretty good hires) to go around

2025 MOUNTAIN WEST PREVIEW: https://t.co/oBLxuAg6t0
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) June 6, 2025

This is a fair point. He goes deeper into his reasoning for the mixed feelings about UNLV in his Mountain West Conference Preview. A preview in which he ranks the Rebels as the No. 2 team in the Mountain West. The key points he looks towards are the schools history, the coaching change, and the roster moves.

“In 28 years before Odom's arrival, UNLV had averaged a dire 3.3 wins per season with 13 years at two or fewer wins and only three at six wins or more. Then the Rebels won 20 in two years under Odom.”

“When you overachieve dramatically compared to your historic norm and then lose the head coach who engineered said overachievement, that's usually an ironclad guarantee of immediate regression. But with transfers and immediate rebuilds becoming more of the norm, history might mean a little bit less than it used to. UNLV replaced Odom with just about the most proven coach available -- in 13 seasons at Mississippi State and Florida, Dan Mullen won at least eight games eight times with six SP+ top-15 finishes -- and he'll oversee a roster loaded with former blue-chippers and/or power-conference signees."

It will be interesting to see just how these new-look Rebels perform this season. Most projections, including Vegas lines, have them back in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game giving them one last chance to topple the Boise State Broncos.