UNLV picked to finish in bottom half of MW in football poll

UNLV football was picked to finish ninth out of 12 teams in the Mountain West preseason poll, but received one first-place vote.

UNLV finished with 177 total points in the preseason poll as voted by members of the media. Boise State was picked to win the conference with 28 first-place votes and 433 total points. Air Force was second with 364, defending champion Fresno State was third (351), and San Diego State was fourth (338).

“The season hasn’t started yet,” UNLV senior defensive lineman Naki Fahina said at the conference’s media days at Circa. “Once it’s the end of the season, when the season’s over, that’s what matters. That’s everything that matters to us in the end.”

UNLV was one of five schools to receive one of the 37 first-place votes. The last time UNLV received first-place votes in the preseason poll was in 2001 when it received four votes coming off a 8-5 season with a win in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Rebels finished 4-7 and tied for fifth place in the Mountain West in 2001.

No UNLV players were selected to the preseason all-conference offensive or defensive teams. The last time a UNLV player was named to a preseason all-conference team was in 2020 with former running back Charles Williams.

“Some people may think we don’t have any all-conference players, but I believe we do at every position,” junior quarterback Doug Brumfield said. “Only time will tell. We have a schedule coming up against a lot of these opponents that are on that list, and we will go and compete against them and show who’s the better player.”

The Rebels enter their first season with new coach Barry Odom after finishing 5-7 last season and firing previous coach Marcus Arroyo.

San Diego State stays put

Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez confirmed reports that San Diego State will remain a member of the Mountain West for the 2023-24 season.

At her state of the conference address at the league’s media days Wednesday, Nevarez said the school will be a member in “good standing” for the upcoming season.

“I feel like we’ve landed in a very good spot, and we’re very much looking forward to moving forward with San Diego State,” Nevarez said.

She declined to comment on deliberations of the board or discussions of the resolution.

Nevarez said that the school’s $6.6 million annual distribution for the 2023 fiscal year, which was being held as a down payment for its exit fee, has been released to the school.

“As a member in good standing, that distribution has been released,” Nevarez said.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.