UNLV had a surprisingly successful year one under Barry Odom and now Houston will look to do the same under new head coach Willie Fritz. Fritz was hired after a disappointing 4-8 campaign under Dana Holgorson. Odom led the Rebels to a 9-5 record with appearances in the MWC Championship and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

Among the most burning questions is who will start at quarterback for the Rebels. Gone is Jayden Maiava, who transferred to USC after his freshman season. The Rebels are left with a battle between two incoming transfers, Matthew Sluka and Hajj-Malik Williams, and returning backup Cameron Friel. Both Sluka (Holy Cross) and Williams (Campbell) put up heavy numbers at their former schools and the pre-season battle has been tight. The two transfers add an element that was missing from last season - the ability to gain yards on the ground. Sluka is stronger getting out of the pocket whereas Williams excels with the read-pass option.

The Rebels boasted the best scoring in the conference last year with 34.3 points per game using a balanced attack. UNLV returns pivotal skill players with Ricky White, an All-American, Mountain West First Team wide receiver last season who led the Mountain West in receiving yards and was third in receiving yards throughout the entire country. Joining him at receiver is the diminutive but explosive Jacob DeJesus, who was All-American as a punt returner and kick off returner. Sure handed tight end Kaleo Ballungay emerged as a dangerous weapon for the Rebels last season. At 6-7, 265, Ballungay can be a matchup nightmare and may line up in situations to exacerbate a mismatch. With an experienced offensive line - perhaps the best since the John Robinson days - and depth in the backfield, led by Jaiden Thomas, the Rebels could improve upon an offense that ranked nationally in the top 25. Michael Allen (NC State), Kylin James (Central Arkansas) join Thomas in the backfield along with local product Greg Burrell (Desert Pines HS).

While the offense should improve, there should be a major transformation defensively. UNLV hit the portal heavy for the area of most need, the defensive secondary. Cameron Oliver, an All MWC pre-season pick, will be joined by Tony Grimes from Texas A&M. Johnathan Baldwin will be helped by transfer Jalen Catalon from Texas at safety. Baldwin and Catalon have been plagued by injuries over their careers, but the Rebels have their most quality team depth in the defensive backfield. Last season, the Rebels were 9-0 when holding the opposing quarterback to under 65% completions, 0-5 when better than 65%.

The defensive line is experienced (Cooper Webb and Jalen Dixon) and the Rebels added end Antonio Doyle Jr from Jackson State/Texas A&M to enhance the pass rush. Last season, Doyle had four sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. While the secondary struggled at times, it was in part due to a lack of pressure from the front line. The linebacking corps is led by Preseason Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Woodard. He will be joined by Marsel McDuffie who was Honorable Mention All-MW as a sophomore.

One area the Rebels will take a major hit is kicking. While the Rebels can flip the field with punter Marshall Nichols, the departure of Jose Pizano leaves a rather large void. Pizano was a key to the Rebel success last season drilling 26 of 29 field goal attempts, including six in a tight win against Colorado State. UNLV will replace one of the top kickers in the nation with a local freshman, Caden Chittenden, from Faith Lutheran.

With Jacob DeJesus back returning punts and kicks, it's just a matter of time before he breaks one for good. DeJesus was the only FBS player to rank in the top 15 in both punt (3rd at 16.0) and kickoff return (13th at 25.7) average.

Prediction: An early observable element of a Barry Odom program has been poise and focus. Never too up and never too down, the Rebels stayed the course last season. Though they wilted towards the end of the season, they showed a resilience rarely witnessed with the football program. Teams usually aren't at their sharpest in the first game, but the Rebels will be prepared and focused. For many players, last season was the first taste of any success and the Rebels will build upon it.

The Rebels will stay varied with the offense, keeping the Cougars off balance with the play calling and formations. For the Cougars, they're going to have to pick their poison. If too much attention is paid to White, the Rebels can gash them with the run or other high quality receivers spread on the field. Even though the Rebels are loaded at receiver, expect UNLV to put up big numbers on the ground.

Defensively, it will be the quickest and deepest UNLV squad in decades - maybe ever. As they do with the offense, UNLV will have the flexibility to confuse the Cougars with many looks. Doyle and company should get better push in the trenches, allowing linebackers and the defensive backfield to make plays.

The biggest questions stem from who starts at quarterback. The coaches have made their decision and are keeping it quiet until game day. Whoever gets the nod, how effective are they and what kind of patience does the staff have? Is there a pre-plan for swapping out for some series? Do they roll with one guy from start to finish regardless of game situation?

It would be rare for players to overlook the very first game of the season, but in week two, UNLV hosts Utah Tech while Houston hits the road to play nationally ranked Oklahoma.

However, it will come down to how well UNLV fares at the QB spot. If UNLV can get the quality play they expect from whoever starts at quarterback, they'll head back to Vegas with an upset victory.

Final prediction: UNLV 35 Houston 27

DATE: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024

KICKOFF: 4:05 pm PT

SITE: TDECU Stadium (40,000/Artificial) Houston

TV: FS1 RADIO: ESPN 1100 AM & 100.9 FM

ONLINE: LiveStats at unlvrebels.com

SPREAD: Houston -2.5 O/U 54