# 2025 UNLV Rebels football team
The 2025 [UNLV Rebels football](https://www.edgepedia.org/unlv-rebels-football) team represented the [University of Nevada, Las Vegas](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-nevada-las-vegas) in the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the [Mountain West Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/mountain-west-conference). The Rebels finished 10-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play under first-year head coach Dan Mullen, tied for the Mountain West regular-season title, and reached the conference championship game for a third consecutive season before losing to Boise State and falling to Ohio in the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl.[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) • [2](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/11/29/football-ties-for-mw-regular-season-title-keeps-cannon-rebel-red.aspx) • [3](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/12/23/football-frustration-in-frisco-as-rebels-drop-bowl-game.aspx)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 10-4 overall (.714), 6-2 in Mountain West play; 5-1 at home, 5-2 away, 0-1 at neutral sites[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) |
| Head coach | Dan Mullen, hired December 12, 2024; his 10 wins were the most by a first-year coach in school history[4](https://unlvrebels.com/staff-directory/dan-mullen/3820) |
| Regular season | Started 6-0; tied for first place in the Mountain West and retained the Fremont Cannon with a 42-17 win at UNR[5](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/unlvrebels.com/documents/2025/12/16/UNLV_FB_Game_14_at_Frisco_Bowl.pdf) • [2](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/11/29/football-ties-for-mw-regular-season-title-keeps-cannon-rebel-red.aspx) |
| Postseason | Lost the Mountain West Championship Game 38-21 at Boise State (Dec. 5) and the Frisco Bowl 17-10 to Ohio (Dec. 23)[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) |
| Scoring | 34.1 points per game scored (18th of 136 FBS teams), 28.0 allowed (89th)[6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/nevada-las-vegas/2025.html) |
| Streaks | Scored at least 20 points in 34 consecutive regular-season games, leading college football; surpassed 30 points a school-record 11 times in 12 games[2](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/11/29/football-ties-for-mw-regular-season-title-keeps-cannon-rebel-red.aspx) |
| Roster turnover | Only 32% of the 2024 roster returned; 16 former blue-chip recruits transferred in, the top portal class in the Mountain West[7](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2025/08/17/2025-mountain-west-college-football-preview-prediction-futures/) • [8](https://www.mwcconnection.com/2025/7/29/24468380/the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-season-predictions-2) |
## Coaching change and roster overhaul
UNLV entered 2025 after the best two-year stretch in program history: a 9-5 record in 2023 followed by 11-3 in 2024, the program's first back-to-back winning seasons in four decades, a second straight Mountain West Championship Game appearance, a 24-13 [LA Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-bowl) win over Cal, and the first end-of-season national ranking in school history.[9](https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/big-wins-and-field-spring-2025-athletics-round) Head coach [Barry Odom](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-odom), who led that recovery, left for Purdue, and UNLV hired [Dan Mullen](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-mullen), a longtime SEC head coach at Mississippi State and Florida who had spent the previous three seasons as an ESPN analyst.[7](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2025/08/17/2025-mountain-west-college-football-preview-prediction-futures/) • [4](https://unlvrebels.com/staff-directory/dan-mullen/3820)
**A rebuilt roster.** Only 32% of the previous season's roster returned, and many of Odom's top players followed him out. Mullen responded with the top transfer portal class in the Mountain West: 16 former blue-chip recruits, headlined by Michigan quarterback [Alex Orji](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-orji), Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea, and Utah running back Jaylon Glover, along with five wide receivers and eight defensive players.[7](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2025/08/17/2025-mountain-west-college-football-preview-prediction-futures/) • [8](https://www.mwcconnection.com/2025/7/29/24468380/the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-season-predictions-2) Running back Jai'Den Thomas, who led the Rebels with 940 rushing yards in 2024, returned as the offense's leading weapon.[10](https://vsin.com/college-football/mountain-west-college-football-team-previews-2025/)
Expectations were wide-ranging. DraftKings listed UNLV at +700 to win the Mountain West and called the team one of the bigger question marks in college football; ESPN's SP+ projection placed the Rebels 75th nationally with 7.8 average wins (5.2 in conference); Athlon predicted a Boise State win over UNLV in the conference title game.[7](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2025/08/17/2025-mountain-west-college-football-preview-prediction-futures/) • [11](https://www.espn.co.uk/college-football/story/_/id/45457852/2025-mountain-west-conference-college-football-projections-preview) • [12](https://athlonsports.com/college-football/mountain-west-football-2025-predictions)
## Season results
UNLV opened its 58th season of football on August 23 with a 38-31 home win over Idaho State at [Allegiant Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/allegiant-stadium), then beat [Sam Houston](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-houston) 38-21 and UCLA 30-23 to start 3-0 for a second straight season.[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) • [13](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/9/9/football-bye-week-release-rebels-start-3-0-for-second-straight-season) A 41-38 win at Miami (OH) and a 31-17 win at Wyoming made the Rebels 6-0, and a wild 51-48 [Homecoming](https://www.edgepedia.org/homecoming) victory over Air Force before 32,932 fans made them bowl-eligible for a third straight season for the first time in program history.[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) • [5](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/unlvrebels.com/documents/2025/12/16/UNLV_FB_Game_14_at_Frisco_Bowl.pdf)
The first loss came 56-31 at Boise State on October 18, and [New Mexico](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-mexico) won 40-35 in Las Vegas on November 1, leaving UNLV 6-2 in conference play.[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) The Rebels then closed with four straight wins: 42-10 at Colorado State, 29-26 in double overtime against Utah State, 38-10 against Hawai'i, and 42-17 at UNR in the 51st Battle for the Fremont Cannon, keeping the trophy painted Rebel red and finishing in a four-way tie for first place in the Mountain West.[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) • [2](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/11/29/football-ties-for-mw-regular-season-title-keeps-cannon-rebel-red.aspx)
**Postseason.** By tiebreakers UNLV (10-2) traveled to Boise State (8-4) for the Mountain West Championship Game on December 5 and lost 38-21, its third consecutive title game appearance.[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) • [14](https://broncosports.com/documents/download/2025/12/1/UNLV_FB_Game_13_at_MW_Championship.pdf) In the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl at Ford Center at The Star in [Frisco, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/frisco-texas), on December 23, Ohio beat the Rebels 17-10, UNLV's first bowl loss to a [Mid-American Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/mid-american-conference) opponent in three all-time matchups.[1](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) • [3](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/12/23/football-frustration-in-frisco-as-rebels-drop-bowl-game.aspx)
## Team statistics
Over 14 games, UNLV averaged 34.1 points scored (18th of 136 FBS teams) and 28.0 allowed (89th), an offense-first profile that matched the season's pattern of high-scoring wins and a defense that gave up 28 points per game.[6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/nevada-las-vegas/2025.html) The offense produced 446.4 total yards per game at 6.8 yards per play, split between 195.5 rushing yards (5.5 per carry, 33 touchdowns) and 250.9 passing yards (65.8% completions, 24 touchdowns against 9 interceptions).[6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/nevada-las-vegas/2025.html) • [15](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/stats/2025/) The defense allowed 419.1 yards per game and forced 1.7 turnovers per game.[6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/nevada-las-vegas/2025.html)
The scoring streak was the season's most durable mark: UNLV scored at least 20 points in every regular-season game since a 35-7 loss at Michigan early in 2023, a run of 34 games that led college football after former leader Memphis failed to reach 20 on [Thanksgiving](https://www.edgepedia.org/thanksgiving) night.[14](https://broncosports.com/documents/download/2025/12/1/UNLV_FB_Game_13_at_MW_Championship.pdf) • [2](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/11/29/football-ties-for-mw-regular-season-title-keeps-cannon-rebel-red.aspx)
## Context in the Mountain West
2025 was the final season of the Mountain West in its existing form; most of the league's strongest programs were set to leave for the reconstituted Pac-12 the following year. Boise State was the preseason media poll favorite for the 15th time in its 15-year league history, with UNLV viewed as the strongest challenger.[16](https://theanalyst.com/articles/mountain-west-football-predictions-2025) The championship game matched those two teams for the third year running, and Boise State won it for the second time in that span.[14](https://broncosports.com/documents/download/2025/12/1/UNLV_FB_Game_13_at_MW_Championship.pdf)
Mullen's first season kept the program's upward trajectory intact: a 10-4 record, a share of the regular-season title, and a third straight bowl berth, with the coach entering year two on a 113-65 career record and a 7-4 bowl mark.[4](https://unlvrebels.com/staff-directory/dan-mullen/3820)
## References
1. [2025 Football Schedule, UNLV Athletics](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/schedule/2025)
2. [Football Ties For MW Regular-Season Title, Keeps Cannon Rebel Red, UNLV Athletics (Nov. 29, 2025)](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/11/29/football-ties-for-mw-regular-season-title-keeps-cannon-rebel-red.aspx)
3. [Frustration In Frisco As Rebels Drop Bowl Game, UNLV Athletics (Dec. 23, 2025)](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/12/23/football-frustration-in-frisco-as-rebels-drop-bowl-game.aspx)
4. [Dan Mullen - Head Coach, UNLV Athletics Staff Directory](https://unlvrebels.com/staff-directory/dan-mullen/3820)
5. [2025 Rebel Football Game Notes: at Frisco Bowl, UNLV Athletics](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/unlvrebels.com/documents/2025/12/16/UNLV_FB_Game_14_at_Frisco_Bowl.pdf)
6. [2025 UNLV Rebels Stats, Sports-Reference.com](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/nevada-las-vegas/2025.html)
7. [2025 Mountain West college football preview, prediction, futures, DraftKings Network (Aug. 17, 2025)](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2025/08/17/2025-mountain-west-college-football-preview-prediction-futures/)
8. [The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Season Predictions #2, Mountain West Connection (Jul. 29, 2025)](https://www.mwcconnection.com/2025/7/29/24468380/the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-season-predictions-2)
9. [Big Wins On and Off the Field: Spring 2025 Athletics Round Up, UNLV News Center](https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/big-wins-and-field-spring-2025-athletics-round)
10. [Mountain West College Football Team Previews 2025, VSiN](https://vsin.com/college-football/mountain-west-college-football-team-previews-2025/)
11. [2025 Mountain West Conference college football projections, preview, ESPN](https://www.espn.co.uk/college-football/story/_/id/45457852/2025-mountain-west-conference-college-football-projections-preview)
12. [Mountain West Football 2025 Predictions, Athlon Sports](https://athlonsports.com/college-football/mountain-west-football-2025-predictions)
13. [BYE WEEK RELEASE: Rebels Start 3-0 For Second Straight Season, UNLV Athletics (Sep. 9, 2025)](https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/9/9/football-bye-week-release-rebels-start-3-0-for-second-straight-season)
14. [UNLV Rebel Football Game Notes: Mountain West Championship, Boise State Athletics](https://broncosports.com/documents/download/2025/12/1/UNLV_FB_Game_13_at_MW_Championship.pdf)
15. [Football Cumulative Statistics 2025, UNLV Athletics](https://unlvrebels.com/sports/football/stats/2025/)
16. [Mountain West Football Predictions: Is Boise State Still the Team to Beat in Its Final Year in the League?, Opta Analyst (Aug. 8, 2025)](https://theanalyst.com/articles/mountain-west-football-predictions-2025)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football programs › 2025 season articles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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