Saving the best for first, the Mountain West opens league play with two marquee teams — Hawaii and UNLV — facing off today at the Clarence T.C. Ching complex.
"First conference game and a big rivalry game," UNLV coach Dan Mullen said, noting the teams will be competing for the Island Showdown Trophy.
Last week, both teams suffered season-opening nonconference losses. But Mullen said that should not derail the Rebels' hopes of earning a College Football Playoff invitation.
"We're certainly in the mix for that, as everybody in America is," Mullen said. "Only 12 people (on the selection committee) know what the heck's going on with that. We have zero control over that (CFP) goal. You can go 13-0 and not go, right? We control the Mountain West championship. That's what we can control. That's always our focus. If you had to put a tangible goal on wins and losses, it's winning the Mountain West championship."
UH head coach Timmy Chang said both teams understand the importance of avoiding an 0-2 start. With only half of UH's 12 regular-season games at Ching, associate head coach Chris Brown said the Warriors need to hold serve on their home field.
"They're a very good team," Brown said of the Rebels. "We respect them. But we have to protect our house."
Chang said there's "a sense of urgency in a game with an opponent like UNLV, top of the conference the past three years. This game is important. It was important last season toward the end. And it just happens to be in the beginning of the season. It'll be a fun game, a challenging game."
From 1999, their first year in the Mountain West, through 2022, the Rebels had only two winning seasons in league play.
But UNLV's football fortunes turned after that. There were improvements to on-campus facilities. The Rebels used state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium and name-image-likeness donors to lure top recruits and transfers. And Barry Odom — a former Missouri head coach and Arkansas defensive coordinator — was hired as head coach to elevate the Rebels. Odom hired Brennan Marion to implement his Go-Go Offense. The Rebels went 9-5 in 2023 and 10-3 the following season.
After Odom went to Purdue, UNLV named Mullen, who was Florida's head coach for four seasons through 2021. The Rebels were 10-4 last season.
The Rebels did not miss a beat after quarterback Anthony Colandrea, the league's 2025 Offensive Player of the Year, transferred to Nebraska. Jackson Arnold, who previously played at Oklahoma and Auburn, succeeded Colandrea. Former Michigan quarterback Alex Orji also is in the mix. And Jai'Den "Jet" Thomas is widely regarded as the league's best running back.
But Mullen expressed concerns about facing Micah Alejado, UH's third-year quarterback. Alejado, who was named the Mountain West's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, turned down other opportunities to remain with the Warriors.
"He knows the system," Mullen said of Alejado. "Another whole year for him running that offense and a whole offseason running that offense. … You don't see this as much in today's football, right, of guys with returning starters at quarterback? Usually those guys are portal-ed up and gone somewhere else. I think it's a huge advantage for them to have a returning starter at the quarterback position (who's) going to be really comfortable in the offense."
Alejado is one of 15 alumni of Bishop Gorman High School, a Las Vegas-based football power, on the Warriors' active roster.
"Obviously, the emotions are high, and it's fun," Alejado said. "At the end of the day, it's a 12-game (regular) season. You never get too excited. … You try to keep calm and stay balanced and just go perform."
Chang said: "We want a lot of energy in this game. But at the same time, we have to execute, and focus on our details and discipline. We're process driven. That's how you function the best, regardless who you play and where people are from."
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