Ranking UCLA's Most Important Games: No. 11

Each game in a college football season is important, but some matchups do hold weight over the others.

September 10, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver Jordan Lasley (2) runs the ball for a first down against the defense of UNLV Rebels defensive back Darius Mouton (21) during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

We're officially three weeks away from UCLA's season opener, and the Bruins are one of the biggest stories in college football.

With a ton of expectations preceding them, let's rank the Bruins' most important games on the schedule, moving on to No. 11 -- Week 2 vs UNLV.

This is two of the Bruins' three non-conference games two start the rankings. Dan Mullen and his Rebels are projected to be one of college football's most surprising teams, and they are an early litmus test for the Bruins early in the season.

Dec 18, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; The UNLV Rebels celebrate after defeating the California Golden Bears in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA's non-conference schedule is uber-important this season. Wins against Utah, UNLV and New Mexico can send DeShaun Foster and the Bruins into their conference opener against Northwestern 3-0. It's not far-fetched to see a world where the Bruins start the season 4-0.

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.

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

"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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Read more on UCLA football and their momentous second season in the Big Ten and under DeShaun Foster here. While you're here, check out all things UCLA basketball and Mick Cronin improving the Bruins through the transfer portal here.

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