UNLV’s football season opener moved up due to Alvarez-Crawford fight

UNLV will open its football season earlier than expected as a result of the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford megafight Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium.

The Rebels were scheduled to host Idaho State on that same date, but will now host the Bengals on Aug. 23 in the so-called “Week Zero” of the college season.

UNLV secured a waiver from the NCAA to host a game that week, giving the Rebels a tuneup game against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent before visiting Sam Houston State on Aug. 29 in what had been expected to be the debut of new coach Dan Mullen.

No kickoff time or TV information was announced for the Idaho State game. It will be the earliest date for a UNLV season opener in program history, surpassing the 2022 opener against Idaho State on Aug. 27.

This year’s game needed to be changed after UFC president Dana White announced this month that his first foray into boxing as a promoter would be Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium. It also was revealed then that a deal had been struck to move the UNLV game, but the school did not confirm details of a new date until Friday.

It is believed concessions were made to UNLV and possibly Idaho State in exchange for moving the game, but White’s positive relationship with the UNLV athletic department might have smoothed negotiations.

“The world championship boxing match is important to Las Vegas, and the impact it will have on tourism is unmatched,” UNLV athletic director Erick Harper said in a statement. “We felt it was important to request a waiver to show our commitment to the community.”

The Raiders have a preseason game Aug. 23 at the Arizona Cardinals.

New Mexico game

UNLV also announced that its Nov. 1 home game against New Mexico will kick off at noon. TV information was not announced.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.