UNLV football team ranked in final AP poll for 1st time
UNLV finished No. 23 in The Associated Press’ Top 25 football poll released Tuesday.
The poll was the final one of the season after Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame on Monday in the College Football Playoff championship game. It’s the first time in school history that the Rebels have finished the season ranked in the Top 25.
The USA Today coaches poll was released hours later, and UNLV was ranked No. 24.
With former coach Barry Odom at the helm, UNLV finished 11-3 for the second-most wins in program history and the most since 1984. The team was 6-1 in the Mountain West, including a loss to Boise State in the conference championship game that kept the Rebels out of the CFP.
The Rebels ended the season with a win over Cal in the LA Bowl last month. Odom left before that game to take the Purdue job.
Now led by former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, UNLV enters the 2025 season with multiple appearances in the national rankings.
The program’s first Top 25 ranking as a Division I team came Sept. 15 after a 23-20 road win over Kansas. UNLV was No. 25 in the USA Today coaches poll following the win and then joined the AP rankings for the first time two weeks later.
The Rebels reached No. 19 in both polls, a season best, Dec. 1 following a blowout rivalry win over UNR.
Mullen retained some assistant coaches from the Odom era, and his recruiting efforts have already resulted in a well-regarded group of transfers.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.