Based on what everyone has said, UNLV has as of yet to have their WTF win! In my opinion this is the most important game for coach Sanchez in his career at UNLV! If they win this game they have a very good shot at winning at least 6 games, if they lose this game it is likely they have dug a deep hole that would be very difficult to recover from. The will either be 3-4 (3-2 required at a minimum to finish the season) or 2-5 (4-1 required to finish the season). A win could also put UNLV in a position that they could be playing unr to make a bowl game as well as unr needing the win to get to a bowl game at the end of the season.
Huge game.
3-4 with what is remaining on the schedule gives life. 2 toughest games, Hawaii and SDSU are at home, plus SJSU. Two of three there gets you to 5-5. Road games at CSU and Reno are winnable. CSU has a good offense but can't stop anybody and Ft. Collins has been a tough place for UNLV. Reno is hard to figure out. On the road makes it tough, but Rebs have gotten them there twice, once with Hauck and Sanchez year one.
2-5 and I have a hard time seeing this team reeling off 5 straight. Because it will probably take 7 to get a bid.
6-6 would get them bowl eligibility but wouldn't ensure a bid. That would create an awkward situation and difficult decision for AD at the end of the year. It does give Sanchez the grounds to say 'I did my job getting us eligible, now you do your job as AD and sell it to the committees why we should get an invite'.
MWC has 6 bowl tie ins.
Boise, SDSU are basically locks to get bowl eligibility.
Hawai'i is on pace, as is USU.
Wyoming is at 4 wins and likely gets 2 more.
Air Force at 4 likely to get to 6 required.
That's 6 teams already. And that doesn't include Reno who already has 4 wins only needs 2 more.
Fresno has a rough stretch to finish the season. Rebs get them tonight, it goes a long way towards possibly thinning the herd for competition for bowl bids.
UNLV, even at 6 wins might need Boise to run the table to get a New Years day bid, that would open up a spot. Or may need another conference to come up short in bowl eligible teams.
If the Rebs can get this one tonight, they give themselves a shot and stay in the mix.
They lose they probably have to go 5-0 to get in..