UCLA's Week 2 Opponent Narrowly Escapes FCS School

UNLV opened the Dan Mullen era with a narrow victory of Idaho State. What does this mean for UCLA?

September 10, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Brandon Stephens (20) runs the ball against the UNLV Rebels during the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

UCLA's Week 2 opponent, UNLV, started the Dan Mullen era by narrowly escaping defeat against FCS Idaho State, edging out the Bengals 38-31.

This is something of note for the Bruins, as they were widely projected to be underdogs against Mullen's Rebels in the second game of the season. If the Bruins are the improved team many think they are, the UNLV matchup can be more than just a non-conference toss up.

Nov 20, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen watches play against the Missouri Tigers during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Analyst Previews UNLV

Want to know more about the Rebels going into the season? Well, ESPN's Bill Connelly previewed them ahead of the season, here's what he had to say:

"After an almost complete roster teardown (the second in three years), UNLV could be just about anything in 2025. If Mullen and company can generate some immediate traction and upside, this one could easily be within reach for the Rebels. One way or the other, we'll learn what we need to know about the Rebels pretty quickly."

"While Deion Sanders earned most of the publicity two years ago when he came to Colorado and flipped almost the entire roster in a single offseason, Barry Odom basically did the same thing at UNLV, and with better immediate results. It took a year for CU to generate any real progress, but Odom's Rebels immediately surged from 5-7 to 9-4 in 2023, then fielded what was, per SP+, their best ever team in 2024.

"In 28 years before Odom's arrival, UNLV had averaged a dire 3.3 wins per season with 13 years at two or fewer wins and only three at six wins or more. Then the Rebels won 20 in two years under Odom. Now he's at Purdue.

"When you overachieve dramatically compared to your historic norm and then lose the head coach who engineered said overachievement, that's usually an ironclad guarantee of immediate regression. But with transfers and immediate rebuilds becoming more of the norm, history might mean a little bit less than it used to. UNLV replaced Odom with just about the most proven coach available -- in 13 seasons at Mississippi State and Florida, Dan Mullen won at least eight games eight times with six SP+ top-15 finishes -- and he'll oversee a roster loaded with former blue-chippers and/or power-conference signees.

"By my count, there are 16 former blue-chippers on the roster. And almost none of them have played with each other before. It's easy to see how this all comes together beautifully, especially on offense, where Mullen teams have almost always been solid and Mullen hired an intriguing young coordinator in Corey Dennis. But this is also a giant chemistry experiment that could go awry in pretty obvious ways. The uncertainty makes UNLV one of the country's more intriguing teams; it also makes them pretty hard to project with confidence."

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