With UNLV on path toward bowl eligibility, plenty of options await
Anytime UNLV football can get to four wins by the end of September, the obvious next step is to start looking ahead to bowl possibilities. The Scarlet and Gray hasn’t played in a postseason game since 2013, and UNLV still needs two more wins before achieving bowl eligibility, but with the way coach Marcus Arroyo and quarterback Doug Brumfield have the team playing right now, the magic number of six seems almost inevitable.
So, what could the not-so-distant future hold for a UNLV team that accumulates or even surpasses six wins?
The Mountain West has five automatic bowl tie-ins, which is where most of the league’s eligible teams will wind up at the end of the regular season. And considering the state of the conference at the moment — UNLV is currently in first place in the West Division at 2-0 (4-1 overall) — all possibilities are still open:
Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl
Date: Dec. 17
Location: Los Angeles
Network: ABC
Opponent: Pac-12
This is the premier destination for Mountain West teams, as the league sends its championship-game winner to the L.A. Bowl. It’s also the only tie-in that offers a power-conference opponent. Sure, it’s only a middle-of-the-pack Pac12 team, but it’s a good opportunity for a Mountain West team to make a statement — especially a school like UNLV, which is likely angling for a spot in the soon-tobe realigned Pac-12. Utah State was the MWC representative last year and showed well, defeating Oregon State. The Sporting News is currently projecting UNLV to face Arizona in this year’s L.A. Bowl.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Date: Dec. 20 Location: Boise, Idaho Network: ESPN Opponent: MAC
The Potato Bowl offers a landing spot for a Mountain West team that squeaks past the bar for bowl eligibility, and the same goes for the Mid-american opponent. Last year it was Wyoming (6-6) vs. Kent State (7-6); if UNLV ends up here after a 4-1 start, it means the second half of the season was a bit of a disappointment (as much as any bowl appearance could be a disappointment for UNLV).
New Mexico Bowl
Date: Dec. 17
Location: Albuquerque, N.M. Network: ESPN
Opponent: American/conference USA
Fresno State ended up at the New Mexico Bowl last year after going 10-2 overall and finishing second in the MWC West Division. Yahoo! currently projects UNLV to this game (against North Texas, a team they’ve already played and routed, 58-27).
Barstool Arizona Bowl
Date: Dec. 30
Location: Tucson, Ariz.
Network: Barstoolsports.com Opponent: MAC
Boise State scuffled to a disappointing 7-5 record in the regular season, then had to pull out of the Arizona Bowl due to positive COVID-19 tests within its program last year. The game was eventually canceled. UNLV would certainly be happier to be there, though the team has its sights set higher at the moment. One other quirk: The game wouldn’t be on TV, just streamed on the Barstool website.
Easypost Hawaii Bowl
Date: Dec. 24
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Network: ESPN
Opponent: C-USA
This bowl was also canceled due to Covid-19 last year, but it would have featured a sub-.500 Hawaii team (6-7) vs. Memphis, so the bar is not exactly set high.
Though those are the Mountain West’s automatic tie-ins, there are paths to other bowl games as long as UNLV gets to six wins. Athlon Sports has UNLV projected to the Frisco Bowl (Dec. 17), while CBS Sports projects them going to Orlando, Fla., for the Cure Bowl (Dec. 16), and 247Sports has them slotted to the Birmingham Bowl against South Alabama (Dec. 27).
Clearly, postseason options are plentiful. All UNLV has to do to hold up its end of the bargain is keep winning.