UNLV Rebels Future Odds 2023
Brumfield and White Return to Lead Offense That Was Fifth in Mountain West Scoring
Former Missouri Head Coach Barry Odom is the Latest Coach at UNLV
There was plenty of optimism when UNLV embarked on a three-game winning streak early in the 2022 season and it looked like there might be a chance for a rare winning season. However, giving up 40 points in the next three games was the start of a six-game skid and the UNLV Rebels future odds are projecting another tough season as former Missouri head coach Barry Odom takes over as the UNLV head coach. It looked like troubled former head coach Bobby Petrino would be joining him. However, Petrino bolted for Texas A&M not long after being hired as UNLV’s offensive coordinator.
The good news is that starting quarterback Doug Brumfield and top receiver Ricky White both return. The list of impact returnees is pretty short as none of the Rebels made the preseason All-Mountain West first team and only White was a second-team pick. Brumfield and cornerback Ricky Johnson earned third-team honors.
Ready to Play Some Pitch And Catch
Any discussion of the 2023 UNLV team has to start with Brumfield and White. Brumfield missed two games and played sparingly in two others. However, he threw for nearly 2,000 yards. The 10 touchdown passes are a bit of a concern. He did have a 100-yard rushing game against North Texas as well. Keep that in mind when looking at the UNLV Rebels future odds.
Leading rusher Aidan Robbins, a 1,000-yard rusher, transferred to BYU. Adding former Pitt running back Vincent Davis should help fill that void while Courtney Reese averaged more than seven yards per carry for UNLV last season in limited duty.
Who will be blocking for the backs is another story as the offensive line needs to be retooled. The addition of former Arkansas tackle Jalen St. John should help.
Leading tackler Austin Ajiake and sack leader Adam Plant are trying to land spots on NFL rosters.
UNLV does return Johnathan Baldwin Jordyn Morgan and Jerrae Williams in the secondary, but there are plenty of questions when it comes to the front seven on defense.
Leading the list of incoming transfers is linebacker Zavier Carter as he played in 18 games at LSU in the previous two seasons. Former North Carolina State cornerback Jalen Frazier is another newcomer who could have an immediate impact.
National Championship Odds: Tark the Shark Not Walking Through That Door
UNLV had a stretch when it was a national title contender in basketball with Jerry Tarkanian putting together some exciting teams. As for the football team, UNLV hasn’t had a winning season since 2013. Odom is the fourth different coach to try to make the Rebels relevant. It won’t be the easiest of challenges. One look at the UNLV Rebels future odds makes that abundantly clear.
Boise State, Air Force and Fresno State are all well back in the championship odds and those are teams thought to be the class of the Mountain West. It takes a little searching to find UNLV at +100000 in the odds to win the national title.
Conference Odds: Rebels Still Stuck in Second Division
The preseason Mountain West poll saw UNLV receive a first-place vote and that wasn’t enough for the Rebels to finish higher than ninth in the poll.
The Rebels lost to San Jose State by 33 points and to Air Force by 35 points so there is work to do.
The Rebels lost to San Jose State by 33 points and to Air Force by 35 points so there is work to do. UNLV lost the next three conference games by a total of 17 points so perhaps that is a reason to hope that better times are coming.
Regular Season Wins: In Quest of Winning Record
Dating back the 2001 season, UNLV has had more than six wins in a season once and the Rebels had to go 2-1 in one-score games to finish at 7-6.
The expected regular season win total has been set at six wins with -150 odds to go under and +120 to go over.
After opening the season with a Football Championship Subdivision Bryant team, things get real with a game against national title contender Michigan followed by a NCAAF matchup against an improved Vanderbilt program out of the SEC so picking up easy wins before the start of conference play might be a bit challenging as the college football betting odds will have UNLV as a heavy underdog versus Michigan and perhaps even versus Vanderbilt.
When looking at the college football schedule, the key to going over the total could be a three-game stretch against Hawaii, Nevada and Colorado State as those teams combined to win five conference games a season ago.
To Make The Playoffs: Title Hopes to Stay in Vegas
The goal should be the become bowl eligible and that has been challenging enough for this UNLV program.
UNLV had the worst recruiting class in the Mountain West and that is something that Odom should be able to change. There wasn’t much help in the transfer portal either as it could be argued that as much talent left the program as come to Las Vegas.
When the College Football Playoff field moves to 12 teams, it will be conferences like the Mountain West some hope of being included in the chase for the national title. However, UNLV has to be a contender in the conference before there is any talk of playoff appearances. Let’s see where UNLV lands in the college football standings in 2023 before engaging in too much title talk.
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