UNLV football moves up national rankings despite being idle

UNLV football moved up the national rankings despite being off this week.

The Rebels (3-0) were No. 23 in the USA Today coaches poll Sunday, up two spots from their first appearance Sept. 15. UNLV is the highest-ranked Group of Five school in this week’s poll.

The idle Rebels benefited from losses by Memphis and Nebraska, who were ranked No. 23 and No. 24, respectively, last week. UNLV is in the rankings this season for the first time in program history.

The Rebels did not move into The Associated Press’ Top 25, appearing instead in the others receiving votes category. UNLV earned 53 points in the poll, one fewer than it had last week. Washington State (67), Indiana (63) and Boston College (55) received more points among unranked teams.

Boise State, the Rebels’ biggest challenger for a Mountain West championship and a College Football Playoff spot, was No. 25 in the AP poll after defeating Portland State 56-14 on Saturday.

UNLV opens conference play against Fresno State at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday. The Bulldogs are one of four schools that have announced they are leaving the Mountain West to go to the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 school year. The Rebels were not one of the teams invited to join the Pac-12.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.