CBS Sportsline handicapper Bruce Marshall provides college football notes and trends for conference championship games for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Football
UNLV lost to Boise State 56-31 in October, but its defense has improved dramatically under coordinator Paul Guenther entering the Mountain West championship game.
With a 2-10 record, the Raiders have nothing tangible to play for, but that doesn’t lessen the importance of the final five weeks of the season for the franchise.
Interim special teams coach Derius Swinton II sat down with the Review-Journal to discuss how much he has been able to change since taking over the job, among other topics.
A winner is crowned after nine handicappers and the Review-Journal’s David Schoen offered picks on college football games this season.
UNLV and Boise State have explosive offenses, so the Mountain West football championship game might be decided by which defense makes stops at crucial times.
The Raiders have struggled in many aspects of the game under Pete Carroll, but the 74-year-old has been willing to embrace some advancements in the game and the numbers bear it out this season.
Quarterback Derek Garcia of Ventura (California) High School highlighted a recruiting class of 24 players signed by Rebels coach Dan Mullen on Wednesday.
Gloria Nevarez’s league had a four-way tie for first place in football, and computer metrics decided UNLV would meet Boise State in the title game.
The Raiders have signed wide receiver Brenden Rice to their practice squad.
Jack Bech, the Raiders’ rookie wide receiver, is showing signs of a breakout. The next five games could be a springboard to an even bigger role.
Dan Mullen admits to being a little calmer from his previous coaching stops as college football has become a world of NIL dollars and the transfer portal.
The Raiders poured considerable time into the development of Caleb Rogers, who made his NFL debut Sunday against the Chargers and graded out as the team’s best offensive lineman.
UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea led the Mountain West in almost all statistical categories and was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Jai’Den Thomas is nearing a 1,000-yard rushing season and doesn’t even average 11 carries per game. It’s one thing that makes UNLV’s offense so powerful.
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