One of the reasons so many around UNLV were excited about Dan Mullen being named football coach was his resume.
From where he had arrived.
From those schools he had previously coached.
The big time. The SEC. Stops at Mississippi State and Florida.
It has again brought up the idea of UNLV one day making a home in a Power Four conference. It has again broached the question of whether or not it’s a realistic goal.
And it is.
There is a growing sentiment around UNLV that landing in such a spot as, say, the Big 12, could occur sooner rather than later.
And that’s what the Rebels should be gunning for — to do everything possible to make this happen.
It certainly helps that UNLV now has a legitimate football program in which to feature for any sort of argument toward inclusion.
Barry Odom brought the team to historic levels before departing for Purdue, and it’s expected Mullen can and will follow with a just as good or even better product.
Football is king. It’s a significant step for UNLV to now be so competitive in a sport that for decades was an eyesore on the athletic department.
The Big 12 would see this vast improvement as a major piece to the puzzle when deciding whether UNLV is a good fit.
Power Four facilities
You also can’t overstate the importance of facilities, and UNLV has those that can match countless Power Four schools.
There are much worse situations than playing your home football games out of the NFL stadium that is Allegiant and running your program out of the state-of-the-art Fertitta Football Complex.
There is the Thomas & Mack Center for basketball games and the Mendenhall Center as a practice facility. The two major sports on campus are well-suited to the Power Four when it comes to those places they call home.
UNLV is a top-tier research institution with a medical school and law school. It has attributes that play well with what it means to be in a major conference.
Las Vegas has also become the Sports Capital of the World. It should be an enticing carrot to dangle in front of a league like the Big 12. The 40th-biggest media market continues to grow.
People want to be here. Teams want to be here. It’s a town capable of bringing enough interested eyes to the equation.
UNLV athletic director Erick Harper actually has deep ties to the Big 12. He’s from Texas and played football at Kansas State when the league was the Big Eight. He was an assistant athletic director at the university when expansion arrived in 1994.
In rejecting an offer from the Pac-12 to join five Mountain West defectors (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State), the Rebels agreed to a memorandum of understanding to remain in their current league.
UNLV expects to receive a lump sum of $10 million to $14 million in 2026 as an agreement to stay. It expects annual payments of between $1.5 million and $1.8 million. That money would be in addition to UNLV’s share of regular revenue streams, including the league’s new media deal.
If, in fact, such funds are paid after mediation is held over the ongoing lawsuits regarding those fine schools that bolted for the Pac-12.
If not, UNLV’s pursuit of a Power Four existence would only heighten.
But to make such a decision to remain in the Mountain West, along with such a promised lucrative package, you would think UNLV believed something bigger was on the horizon. Something like being confident a Power Four invite would ultimately arrive in its mailbox.
Big 12 reality?
The Big 12 whispers continue to grow louder behind the scenes. So what UNLV did was make in its mind the best deal possible with the Mountain West until such would possibly become reality.
What is strategically best for UNLV would be a place in the Big 12. It always has been. A spot in a Power Four conference for generational money.
For now, UNLV sits and waits and works to best position itself. This, more than anything, is about the future.
One that could pay off much sooner than later.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at [email protected]. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.
