Yeah, they are definitely a higher tier in terms of viewers. I won't argue at all that UNLV's history is remotely close to the viewership of the PAC schools.
However, it's difficult to compare a school like UNLV historically. On one hand, yes, we have sucked. On the other hand, it's not like many of our games have been broadcast on national channels at times where they would get a lot of viewers. I can't remember what channel is was, but I feel like I used to watch the UNLV football games on channel 12 or something like that, even just a few years ago. Maybe we'd get lucky and it would be on the MW network, but how many people actually have that channel?
I think the old UNLV basketball program shows what this university could be. Back in the 80's and 90's, UNLV was a household name across the country. And when it was popping, Vegas followed it big, as well as the rest of the country. The T&M was packed every game and had celebrities sitting courtside.
That's a glimpse of what UNLV could be, if they had the right resources, and the right people in charge. It seems like we're trending in the right direction (for football), but hoops needs a major rejuvenation.
Hopefully, the university makes the right decision on this current round of expansion, and they pour gas on the fire! If not, things could spiral downward in the next few years.
