Throughout the past few weeks, UNLV coach Barry Odom has said all his team can do is control what they can control and let the “chips” fall as they would.
“Really excited to get win No. 9, stay in the conference race the way we need to, and control the things that are maybe beyond that,” Odom said after defeating San Jose State via the Las Vegas Sun.
The chips are indeed falling in UNLV’s direction, as the team is now a victory against rival Nevada-Reno from securing a spot in the Mountain West Championship game against Boise State in Boise, Idaho.
UNLV put itself in this position following a gritty 27-16 victory against San Jose State on Friday. The Rebels then had to wait 24 hours to see if Colorado State lost its last major hurdle to a championship game against Fresno State in Fresno, Calif.
When the final whistle sounded on Fresno State’s 28-22 victory, it put UNLV in the position to control its destiny with a victory.
UNLV Playoff Hopes Alive
UNLV can still make the inaugural college football playoff but will likely need to win out to even be in the conversation.
Only three teams ranked ahead of the Rebels in the college football playoff rankings: Boise State (No. 12), Tulane (No. 19) and Army (No. 20). Army lost, so the Rebels will likely move ahead of the Black Knights.
Tulane was off and will play Memphis in its regular season finale. Regardless of how Tulane plays against the Tigers or in the AAC Championship game, a win over Boise State should be enough to get the Rebels the top Group of Five spot in the rankings.
Moving Up The Polls
UNLV moved up in both the AP and Coaches Poll to No. 21 in the nation – the highest ranking for the Rebels in program history.
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
