ICYMI: ‘Rebels in Ruins’ series examines fall of UNLV athletics

This was supposed to be the year it finally changed.

Coming off a 5-7 season that included an upset victory over Fresno State, it appeared that the UNLV football team was poised to make more progress under fourth-year coach Tony Sanchez.

Instead of the team draining the athletic department of valuable resources, there was optimism this might be the season in which the football team started producing some.

In a five-part series titled “Rebels in Ruins,” Review-Journal sports writers Ed Graney, Ron Kantowski and Mark Anderson analyze UNLV’s downward trajectory in the revenue sports, how expansion and television revenues have widened the gap between the Power Five and Group of Five conferences, and what, if anything, the Rebels can do to expedite a return to prominence.