Betting odds for UNLV football 2019 have been released and if they prove to be accurate, it looks as though the Rebels will be without a Bowl game for the 5th straight year. UNLV’s over/under for wins this year has been set at 4.
UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez is officially on the hot seat and has to start winning now or his job could be gone. The Rebels have yet to reach a bowl in his four years and will need to change that to lock in his coaching position.
The first thing is to stay healthy and the other is to win the games you’re supposed to win. They lost to Howard two years ago and gave UNM and SJSU their only MWC wins last year.
Can’t Do Much with 44% Completions
Quarterback Armani Rogers is entering his third season as starter, but only played six games last year due to injury, completing 44.4% of his passes and running for 565 yards. He’s a much better runner than passer, but it’s hard to win games if your quarterback has trouble completing more than 50 percent of his passes.
The loss of top wide out Brandon Presley to a torn ACL in the spring doesn’t help, but Tyleek Collins, Darren Woods, Mekhi Stevenson and tight end Giovanni Fauolo were next in line in terms of stats.
Either way, this will still be an offense that relies heavily on the ground game after averaging 4.9 yards per carry last year. Charles Williams (332 yards) is set to take over as the lead back, but more importantly, the line is mostly intact with three returning starters and experience behind those guys.
454 Yards Against – 37.3 ppg – Ouch!
Reaching a bowl game will require the defense to get to another level after allowing 454 yards and 37.3 points per game last year. The Rebels have pieces to work with at every level, but there’s no telling if that will be enough to improve overall.
Nick Dehdashtian returns from a season-long injury to help Kolo Uasike and Gabe McCoy (14.5 TFL at linebacker last year) on the line. That unit could be a bright spot for the defense with linebacker somewhat unknown outside of playmaker Javin White on the outside, though JUCO transfer Vic Viramontes helps.
The secondary is filled with upperclassmen and has a couple returning starters, but they were continually torched last season.
UNLV Prediction – No Bowl – Sanchez Fired
Once again, UNLV has the schedule to reach at least four wins due to favorable home games. Expecting more than that will be tough given how inconsistent this team has been under Sanchez.
It doesn’t help that the Rebels host both BSU and SDSU because that means they’ll likely need to win a couple road games to have a chance at a bowl. They’ll have three chances for those two wins against Wyoming, Colorado State and Nevada.
If Rogers returns to form and adds some accuracy, this offense could be pretty good, but the defense could again have the potential to allow 50 points to any opponent.
The Rebs will finish anywhere between four and six wins, but given how things have gone under Sanchez, four or five is the best bet, even with his job on the line.
2019 UNLV Rebels Football Schedule
Aug. 31 vs. Southern Utah (opened -25.5)
Sept. 7 vs. Arkansas State (opened +3.5)
Sept. 14 at Northwestern (opened +19.5)
Sept. 28 at Wyoming (opened +5.5)
Oct. 5 vs. Boise State (opened +15.5)
Oct. 12 at Vanderbilt (opened +16)
Oct. 18 at Fresno State (opened +17.5)
Oct. 26 vs. San Diego State (opened +6.5)
Nov. 2 at Colorado State (opened pk)
Nov. 16 vs. Hawai’I (opened +1)
Nov. 23 vs. San Jose State (opened -7)
Nov. 30 at Nevada (opened +7.5)