UNLV Rebels head coach Barry Odom, center, and players head onto the field for an NCAA football game against the UNR Wolf Pack at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
It's almost too much to fathom -- UNLV in the College Football Playoff.
UNLV, with all of 10 winning seasons under its belt before Barry Odom arrived two years ago, playing for the national championship of Division I football. Imagine that. The idea would have been laughable for the entirety of the program's existence. Until now.
The No. 20-ranked Scarlet and Gray head into Friday's showdown at Boise State as underdogs, but as evidenced by the 29-25 result when the two teams met just over a month ago, the gap between the No. 10 Broncos and UNLV is not wide.
A UNLV victory in Boise, Idaho, would give the Rebels a Mountain West title -- the first in program history -- and also launch the Scarlet and Gray into the inaugural 12-team playoff, where they'd grapple with the likes of Notre Dame, Alabama, Penn State and other college football heavyweights for the big trophy.
As difficult as it may be to grasp, it's this close to becoming a reality.
Senior wide receiver Ricky White, the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year, said he and his teammates are determined to continue elevating UNLV.
"It's a blessing to be in this position," White said. "Breaking the records we've broken and the things we've been able to accomplish as a team, we're going in the right direction. We're going to continue to build."
While a very tough Boise State squad still stands in the way, it is now fair to ask: What if UNLV wins on Friday?
A look at how a trip to the playoff would impact UNLV football:
Selection show
Picture this: UNLV upsets Boise State on the blue turf, the locker room turns into celebration central, and the party continues through the team's flight back to Las Vegas. Then what?
Odom and his players will have one day off before learning their fate when the CFP committee reveals the official bracket on Sunday. The field will be announced via an ESPN program beginning at 9 a.m., so set your alarm clocks early.
Opponent scouting
As the Mountain West winners and highest-ranked Group of 5 champ, UNLV would be entering the field as an automatic qualifier, but their overall ranking -- No. 20 heading into this weekend -- would make them the lowest-rated playoff team. Thus, the Scarlet and Gray would be locked into the No. 12 seed.
That equals a first-round matchup against the No. 5 team, and it would be a true road game. Georgia currently occupies that spot, but the Bulldogs play No. 2 Texas in the SEC championship game this weekend, so there could be movement depending on that result.
If Georgia wins and moves up, idle No. 4 Notre Dame could slide down to the fifth spot. That would set up a rematch from two years ago, when UNLV traveled to South Bend with then-head coach Marcus Arroyo and got embarrassed under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus, 44-21.
Those are just two possibilities. We won't know for sure until the bracket is released, but expect UNLV to draw a very, very good opponent with a storied football history.
Schedule
The first round of the playoff begins with one game Dec. 20 and three Dec. 21, so all of the teams competing on that opening weekend will have at least two weeks of rest. Some teams that didn't play in conference championship games, like Notre Dame, will have had three weeks off.
No bowl game
For UNLV fans hoping for a sunny bowl-game destination, you may be out of luck. For the 12 CFP teams, the playoff is their postseason. Though the first-round contests are not officially "bowl games," the quarterfinals and semifinals will be held at traditional bowl venues.
If UNLV makes the playoff, there is no bowl fallback, even if they lose in the first round.
Playoff impact
Here's where things start to get really interesting. UNLV football has been a ghost of an afterthought in this town for a half-century, but ask locals what the basketball program's success did for the profile of that team (and UNLV as a university). A playoff appearance -- and maybe an all-time upset once they get there -- could vault the Scarlet and Gray into the consciousness of the fan base in a way few ever thought possible.
UNLV would be nationally relevant, which could open up more favorable scheduling opportunities, better television placement and perhaps even a better TV contract when the new Mountain West next negotiates those rights. So there's a lot riding on the Scarlet and Gray becoming a successful football program.
And of course, recruits love a winner.
Odom believes winning will make UNLV exponentially more attractive to young players looking for the best college experience.
"I think it's really contagious," Odom said. "Anything that you want to accomplish as a college football student-athlete, we're going to get done here. That's graduate with a meaningful degree, networking in one of the elite cities in all of the world, the opportunity to play championship-level football. Now we're going to be able to add, you can be an All-American here, you're going to get drafted from here, and you've got an opportunity to play meaningful games to get into the playoffs."
The Scarlet and Gray drew more than 40,000 fans for last week's home finale, a 38-14 win over rival UNR. It was the second-largest crowd in Allegiant Stadium history for a UNLV game, and a sign of things to come if the team continues on its upward trajectory. A playoff appearance would certainly keep fans -- old and new -- engaged through the offseason.
Odom's future
Does a playoff berth make it more or less likely that UNLV can keep Odom as its head coach? There are arguments to be made both ways.
His turnaround job at UNLV has been impressive enough, but a playoff run would have to make him one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel this offseason. Power-conference teams have more money to offer, obviously, but UNLV could make a pretty convincing counteroffer.
Odom is making $1.75 million this year at UNLV, and his salary rises to $2.4 million in 2028, the final year of the contract extension he signed in the offseason. A school like West Virginia, which has an opening and is rumored to be interested in Odom, paid Neal Brown $4 million in 2024 and is giving him a $9.5-million buyout after his firing. That's a big discrepancy in pay.
UNLV could make up for some of that with the lump-sum payment the school is set to receive from the Mountain West. The other intriguing element of UNLV's offer would be a path to the playoffs, as an argument could be made that it's easier to contend for the CFP as a Group of 5 stalwart than as a rebuilding also-ran in a power conference, the situation in which West Virginia currently finds itself.
If UNLV gives Odom a bump up to $3 million or more, and he sees an opportunity to run the new Mountain West and compete for a playoff spot year after year, would he really be in a rush to leave?
Securing a playoff nod this year would make it harder for Odom to walk away. It's just another angle to consider as UNLV heads into its high-stakes title tilt in Boise.