UNLV Reschedules 2025 Opener, Pushes Back Sam Houston Series Amid Allegiant Conflict

Recently, the UNLV Rebels football team was forced to reschedule their home opener against the Idaho State Bengals for the 2025 season, originally set for September 13, due to a scheduling conflict with the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford Super Fight at Allegiant Stadium. The game will now be played in Week 0 on August 23 at the same venue. They will now be moving another future home game with the Sam Houston Bearkats. 

The Rebels have scheduled a home-and-home series with the Bearkats, with the first game being played in Week 1 of this year when Sam Houston hosts the Rebels in their home opener on Friday, August 29, at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas. It's the first time these teams have ever faced each other. The game will be played in Shell Energy Stadium instead of Sam Houston's usual home field of Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas, due to renovations.

The second time these teams were supposed to play was on September 15, 2029, at Allegiant Stadium. That game has now been pushed back four seasons and will be played on September 17, 2033. A reason for the move has not yet been given. It will be the Bearkats' first-ever trip to Las Vegas to face off with the Rebels. 2033 is an interesting year because it will be after UNLV's new deal with the Mountain West Conference will have expired. Which makes it a bit surprising they moved the game back so far, because a lot can change right around that time.