UNLV Rebels

2005 Season Summary

Much like their Mountain West Conference rivals at San Diego State, UNLV has long been considered a "Sleeping Giant" as a football program but, with rare brief exceptions, has been a perennial loser that plays in front of a lot of empty seats in a market with plenty of other things to do besides watch a losing non-BCS football program.

A bit of a buzz around Vegas

After a horrendous 2004 season in which they went 2-9 straight up and 3-8 against the spread UNLV and head coach John Robinson parted ways. Robinson arrived as a proclaimed "savior" of the program and did quickly produce a bowl season before the program went down and suffered four consecutive non-winning seasons that ended with the crash of 2004.

Hired to replace Robinson was Mike Sanford, who was the highly successful offensive coordinator for Urban Meyer at Utah who was coming off an undefeated Fiesta Bowl winning campaign. Sanford, it was hoped, would produce Utah like results with an explosive and entertaining offense. His hiring did bring positive vibes and a bit of a buzz around Vegas as the 2005 season approached.

Close call cost the Rebs betting value

The season opener was a Labor Day morning affair on ESPN at New Mexico, a bowl regular in recent seasons and a 15.5-point chalk as a result of the reputations of the two programs. UNLV nearly pulled off the upset before suffering a tough 22-24 loss that did inspire hope for the rest of the season. Unfortunately the close call cost the Rebs betting value.

In the home opener against an Idaho team that was a perennial and anonymous loser the Rebels were hefty 13-point chalks and needed a last-second field goal to escape with a 34-31 straight up win. In their next game at intra-state rival Nevada, UNLV was a 1.5-point chalk, which made the Wolf Pack a dangerous home dog that pulled off a 22-14 "upset" win.

Discouraging fall

UNLV next traveled to meet up with Utah State, a big time loser year after year from the Western Athletic Conference. The Rebels were 3-point chalks and were badly outplayed in a 24-31 loss that continued a most discouraging fall. This was followed with a third consecutive straight up road loss at MWC rival Wyoming, 17-42 as 19.5-point dogs for the Rebels' fourth consecutive loss against the pointspread.

Brief blip as a slight value

UNLV next hosted San Diego State, who was starting to perk up and was playing its best football of the year at that point. The momentum of both teams made the Aztecs a 10-point road chalk and the Rebels scored a surprising 13-10 upset win. The good will was quickly returned in the following game at Air Force, a 7-42 loss as 13.5-point dogs.

UNLV returned home to face a Utah team that was struggling to adapt without its quarterback and head coach from the 2004 championship run and Sanford would certainly want to show well against the program that he served so well, which set up a nice angle play on the Rebels, who were 11.5-point home dogs to the Utes. UNLV gave their coach a solid effort but simply didn't have enough to win the game, as they lost but covered a 32-42 decision. It was the Rebels second cover in three games as they enjoyed a brief blip as a slight value.

Seemed to be surrendering

UNLV next hosted BYU as a 12.5-point dog and was blown out of the park with an embarrassing 14-55 loss. A trip to MWC leader TCU was next and the Horned Frogs were whopping 29.5-point chalks, justifiably so as it turned out, in a 51-3 decimation that demonstrated that UNLV seemed to be surrendering as the season came near its conclusion.

Mass desertion translated into a bargain

NOBODY wanted to put any money on the Rebels after those back-to-back blowout losses as they came home to host Colorado State as a 16-point home dog. Sanford coaxed a solid effort out of the Rebels, who lost 27-31 as mass desertion translated into a bargain for contrarian gamblers.