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ESPN Plus Wrapping Up Week 1

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UNLV is going to the CFP​


UNLV 27, Houston 7

Last week, I took a look at the race for the Group of 5's automatic CFP bid, listing the top 10 teams per preseason SP+ projections, plus five high-upside dark horses. Because of an iffy 2023 defense, UNLV was listed merely in the dark horses category. But if the defense we saw Saturday in Houston sticks around for a while, the Rebels will quickly move to the top of the power ratings.

In what seemed it could be an even affair, UNLV outgained Houston 242-59 while building a 14-0 halftime lead, then stretched the lead to 24-0 on Texas transfer Jalen Catalon's 36-yard pick-six in the third quarter. A late, 90-yard drive finally put Houston on the board, but this one was over early.

Holy Cross transfer QB Matthew Sluka had a hit-and-miss debut for UNLV, going just 6-for-13 passing for 71 yards and an interception, but he threw two early touchdown passes to Jacob De Jesus and rushed for 62 non-sack yards, and the Rebels offense's main goal was just to get out of the way and kill clock in the second half. They didn't need much out of star receiver Ricky White III. (They will in the future.)

Most of the obvious preseason G5 contenders looked solid in Week 1. Memphis, App State and Tulane disposed of FCS opponents with little to no difficulty, James Madison scored the final 27 points in a 30-7 win over Charlotte, Boise State and UTSA suffered second-half hiccups but beat Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State, respectively, by double digits, and Fresno State had No. 9 Michigan on the ropes well into the fourth quarter. Liberty's defense showed familiar signs of frailty in a 41-24 win over Campbell, but only Troy (28-26 to Nevada) and Western Kentucky (63-0 to Bama) suffered damning losses. The list of contenders remains long, but no one produced a more provocative first-week win than UNLV.​
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Rebel1986
Masked_rebel said:
The point isn't to play a team thatll "draw better". The point is to get a solid W early in season to work out kinks before your schedule really ticks upward. We started woth a Big game, and sandwiched between the next P4 contender is the necessary FCS scrimmage(thats what it is if you're a serious contender) to work out things like "in helmet play calling", offense schemes, etc... while playing a G5 school mightve "drawn" a few thousand Fans traveling to Vegas, Utah Tech is an hour away and they'll be a solid contingent of their fans as well...
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From what I can see, Utah Tech fans bough almost none of their allotment of ticket to the game which are mostly listed for sale now.
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Official Game Thread UNLV at Houston

Rebel1986
j. spilotro said:
Watch Burrell, he’s going to be a big part of the future, imo.
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Michael Allen is a big 5'11" 210# back that could be a difference maker once he gets a couple of games under his belt. Ten carries for 65 yards in his first game against a Big 12 opponent. I wouldn't be surprised if the Utah Tech game gives the team the chance to open up with him going well over 100 years. I also expect a lot passing so that Sluka gets a chance to practice on the passing as well as Hajj-Malik also gets a chance to get in meaningful reps during the game
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dcut03
WarthogRebel said:
I hear you. But I don't think we need to dip as low as Dixie State. They went 1-5 last year in the newly formed FCS United Athletic Conference. Most any Big Sky team would be a better opponent. My option would be to play a Conference USA/AAC( FBS ) team such as UTEP, NMSU, Rice, North Texas. I think any of those would draw better,
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No doubt would draw better, but that goes against the standard FCS opponent. Honestly going with a bad one makes sense too if you think about it. No FCS school will get the fans excited. There is really no point scheduling a team that actually had a chance to win.
In Vegas, scheduling a lower FBS school wouldn't help ticket sales either. Rice UTEP North Texas would be better draws because at least fans would recognize the school. But it goes back to the giving up the "free win" that the schedule allows.
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Line ‘em up: Predictions and Game Thread Houston

Rebel1986
Rebel1986 said:
UNLV has lost badly to Houston three times in a row, it is time that UNLV wins. It is also time we quit playing home games for Houston with 3 games in a row at their home field!

Either UNLV will lose, or they will win big. If the QB comes out ready to play, I do not believe they can keep up"

UNLV 45 Houston 21
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I think I was fairly close on the estimate of a win by 24. UNLV won by 20 with a useless Houston score at the end otherwise they would have won by 27. UNLV is going to continue along the line of being underestimated even if they find a way to beat Kansas, but a win against Kansas would help and has the potential to get UNLV to a top 25 ranking for the first time ever during the regular season. Almost four decades of mostly losing ball is hard to overcome when it comes to the betting lines and media after only 1 good season.
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M
The point isn't to play a team thatll "draw better". The point is to get a solid W early in season to work out kinks before your schedule really ticks upward. We started woth a Big game, and sandwiched between the next P4 contender is the necessary FCS scrimmage(thats what it is if you're a serious contender) to work out things like "in helmet play calling", offense schemes, etc... while playing a G5 school mightve "drawn" a few thousand Fans traveling to Vegas, Utah Tech is an hour away and they'll be a solid contingent of their fans as well...
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USC vs LSU in Vegas link

rebswin2
bcvegaspt2 said:
I'd say move USC up but keep LSU at the 10ish spot. Reward having the guts to play the game.

Move Texas up, too, for playing on the road in the Big House the first game of the season. Maybe not 1 since Georgia had a very impressive win, but 2 sounds about right.
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Hopefully with the expanded playoffs we will see more good out of conferene games where an early loss isnt bad.
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WarthogRebel
dcut03 said:
It is pretty much standard operating procedure to play one lower level team in the noncon. Playing those on the road makes no sense.
Win the big games and fans will show. That's basically it
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I hear you. But I don't think we need to dip as low as Dixie State. They went 1-5 last year in the newly formed FCS United Athletic Conference. Most any Big Sky team would be a better opponent. My option would be to play a Conference USA/AAC( FBS ) team such as UTEP, NMSU, Rice, North Texas. I think any of those would draw better,
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Official Game Thread UNLV at Houston

bcvegaspt2
Boston Rebel 2 said:
We do miss the big RB but another parent of a player that we met was the running back transferred from Central Arkansas. I think his last name is James #20. His legs are huge. He should be able to get a yard or two when we need it. He got the ball a few times in the game.
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We didn't get the extra couple of yards after contact that I noticed last season. Maybe last season it was more accentuated to me since I wasn't used to us getting any forward yardage after contact, let alone falling forward for the extra yard or two.

Again, it very well could be because I have different expectations this season.
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USC vs LSU in Vegas link

dcut03
Knight Rebel702 said:
I wish it was the Rebels playing in this game.

Hopefully U$C can hand this Special Ed Conference team there first L of the season! Even thought they actually had the heart to travel west of the Mississippi river for once which is very rare for any Special Ed Conference Team unless it's a Bowl game. SMH
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I respect LSU. They are not afraid to play a tough game OOC. You don't see Alabama or Georgia or most other SEC contenders playing these games. LSU usually has one every year.
The other SEC teams technically don't have to.The SEC is the best conference, but sometimes I think they are a bit overrated some years. I also think they should be punished for not playing tough games out of Conference. I think those games are essential in determining the top teams for the playoff.
Props to A&M, Texas, for playing tough games as well. Texas going on the road to Michigan takes balls for a true NC contender.
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