UNLV football picked for third place in preseason poll

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L.E. Baskow

UNLV QB Armani Rogers (1) runs the ball with teammate receiver Devonte Boyd (83) trailing as the UNLV football team conducts their first spring practice of the year on Wednesday, March 1, 2017.

Tue, Jul 25, 2017 (8:11 a.m.)

2017 UNLV football

How does UNLV's football season play out?
Reach a bowl game and win — 33.0%
5 wins — 25.6%
Reach a bowl game and lose — 17.3%
3-4 wins — 16.3%
Less than 3 wins — 7.9%

This poll is closed, see Full Results »

Note: This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

The Rebel Room

Setting the expectations for UNLV football

Ray Brewer, Mike Grimala and Case Keefer start thinking about football season with the Mountain West Conference coming to town for media days this week. Where does UNLV fit within the conference? Will Armani Rogers prove the Rebels' savior? Is it bowl game or bust in coach Tony Sanchez's third season?

Is UNLV football in store for a breakout campaign? The Mountain West released its preseason poll on Tuesday morning, and the Rebels are settled in third place in the conference's West Division, behind first-place San Diego State and second-place Hawaii.

UNLV received 105 points in the poll, which was voted on by the media. San Diego State received 168 points and all 28 first-place votes, while Hawaii collected 135 points. After UNLV, the bottom three in the West Division are UNR, San Jose State and Fresno State. In the Mountain Division, Boise State is projected to finish first (161 points, 21 first-place votes), while Colorado State (6, 135) and Wyoming (1, 114) also received first-place votes. Air Force, New Mexico and Utah State round out the bottom of the rankings.

The Rebels finished 4-8 last year, but with most of the team's key skill position players returning and heralded redshirt freshman Armani Rogers set to take over at quarterback, optimism is running high for coach Tony Sanchez's third season. Since the Mountain West split into two divisions for the 2013 season, this is the highest UNLV has placed in the preseason poll.

Senior wide receiver Devonte Boyd is expected to be a vital playmaker for the Rebels this season, and the media concurred, voting him onto the MWC Preseason All-Conference First Team. Mike Hughes was UNLV's only other representative on the All-Conference team, as the senior defensive lineman also made the first team.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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