UNLV-UNR no longer finale

UNLV had hoped to established a tradition of playing UNR on Nevada Day weekend, and the football teams met at that time last season.

It’s a tradition that lasted one season.

The Rebels, who will play their first season under coach Tony Sanchez, instead will open their Mountain West schedule against their northern neighbors, meeting Oct. 3 in Reno.

Mountain West deputy commissioner Bret Gilliland said in a statement that teams are not allowed to request to play certain opponents on particular dates.

“Numerous computer models are run to generate the best possible competitive schedule for all 12 member institutions and those are evaluated in the context of a number of different variables,” Gilliland said. “In 2013, the UNLV-Nevada match-up just happened to fall out of this process on Nevada Day. In 2014, the game just happened to fall out in the last week of the season. Obviously, in the 2015 schedule, neither of these occurred.”

The Mountain West released its schedule on Monday. UNLV’s nonconference schedule already had been made public.

Sanchez said he liked the idea of the game against UNR being placed on Nevada Day weekend.

“In a perfect world, that would be the last game against your rival,” Sanchez said. “But it is what it is. We aren’t overly concerned about it. In the future, if there’s any way to move it, that would be the most desirable for us.”

This is one of UNLV’s toughest schedules ever, beginning with the Sept. 5 season opener at Northern Illinois. The Rebels also visit Michigan on Sept. 19, Fresno State on Oct. 17, Colorado State on Nov. 14 and Wyoming on Nov. 28 in addition to the game at UNR.

The Rebels play no away games on consecutive weeks, however.

UNLV’s notable home games are against UCLA on Sept. 12, Boise State on Oct. 31, Hawaii on Nov. 7 and San Diego State on Nov. 21.

Sanchez will try to being turning around a UNLV program that went 2-11 last season and has won two games in eight of the past 11 years.

“I like (the schedule),” Sanchez said. “It’s a pretty good balance between road and home. Obviously, it’s a very aggressive schedule going into the first year. At the end of the day, I’m concerned with our guys getting better and everybody playing to their fullest.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65