UNLV lost a good football coach.
They’ve also found a good football coach.
Barry Odom, who revitalized the Rebels’ program is off to try to do the same thing at Purdue. UNLV didn’t miss a beat, luring Dan Mullen out of retirement – or should I say TV land – to continue what Odom has built.
Mullen’s pedigree is solid, a 103-61 record as a head coach at Mississippi State and Florida,a 7-3 bowl record and two BCS national championships as an offensive coordinator.
UNLV will pay Mullen a Mountain West-record $3.5 million per year on a five-year deal. That’s more than twice what Odom was paid, and close to double what Colorado State pays Jay Norvell, previously the conference’s highest-earning coach.
Hunter beats Jeanty & Nash
Colorado’s Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, finishing ahead of second place Ashton Jeanty of Boise State.
Hunter is a great football player, maybe the best all around player in the country, as evidenced by his two-way ability.
Is he better than Jeanty? Debatable.
Mountain West fans will tell you that as a receiver, San Jose State’s Nick Nash finished ahead of Hunter in four major categories (receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, receptions pere game and receiving yards per game).
Dampier Gone
As predicted, it was too difficult for New Mexico to hang on to star quarterback Devon Dampier, who is headed to the University of Utah. The Lobos – who surprisingly nearly made a bowl game this season – have lost head coach Bronco Mendenhall (to Utah State) and offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who will take Dampier with him to Utah.
Upcoming Bowls
LA Bowl (Inglewood)
UNLV (10-3) vs Cal (6-6)
Line: UNLV -2.5 (in from UNLV +3.5)
Update: As mentioned, UNLV head coach Barry Odom is off to Purdue, so receivers coach Del Alexander will lead the Rebels. Cal has lost starting QB Fernando Mendoza and leading receiver Nyziah Hunter to the portal. The line has moved in a big way, with UNLV going from underdogs to favorites.
Potato Bowl (Boise)
Fresno State (6-6) vs Northern Illinois (7-5)
Line: Fresno State +2.5
Update: Not one, but two quarterbacks in the portal. Fresno State’s Mikey Keene and Northern Illinois’ Ethan Hampton are both in search of greener pastures and that means a battle of the backups. NIU’s Josh Holt has one start under his belt and that could be the key.
Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu)
San Jose State (7-5) vs South Florida (6-6)
Line: San Jose State -3.5 (out from -2.5)
Update: A chance to see the aforementioned Nick Nash against USF’s defense which is ranked #93 in the country. The Bulls should be able to move the ball on the ground against the Spartans, so this could be a high-scoring affair.