Put this one in the “Oops” category.

I originally reported in this blog last week that John Robinson was the first player or coach with UNLV ties to be selected to the College Football Hall of Fame, a major milestone for the still young program.

Got a note today from another Hall of Famer, former Review-Journal sports writing legend Royce Feour, a member of the Southern Nevada Hall of Fame, that Robinson was actually No. 2 in that regard.

Care to guess who No. 1 was Rebel fans? Make sure you aren’t eating anything before reading on.

The answer is UNR head coach Chris Ault, easily public enemy No. 1 for most UNLV football fans and a fellow who makes no secret of his dislike for Rebel red.

Talk about your ironies, huh?

Ault, who was enshrined in the College Hall of Fame in 2002, was a UNLV assistant in 1973-74 for Ron Meyer.

I emailed UNLV associate sports information director Mark Wallington with Royce’s news and he said the error was a simple case of omitting a single word. Robinson is the first player or HEAD coach from UNLV to be selected to the Hall of Fame.

As for Ault, the school currently doesn’t acknowledge him as a UNLV person in the Hall of Fame.

Got to love that Fremont Cannon rivalry, huh? This year’s Oct. 3 meeting in Reno can’t come soon enough for me.

Former UNLV head coach and athletic director John Robinson’s selection to the College Football Hall of Fame last week was well deserved although the fact that former Arizona State/Ohio State head coach John Cooper beat him in a year ago is still a head-scratcher to me.

Robinson’s USC and UNLV teams thrived in rivalry and bowl games. Cooper was basically run out of Columbus because his team’s always seemed to find a way to come up short against Michigan. Oh, well.

Robinson is the first player or head coach with UNLV ties to make it into the College Hall of Fame in South Bend. He certainly shouldn’t be the last.

It’s time for the 12,000 or so National Football Foundation voters to put former Rebel QB/punter Randall Cunningham in the Hall as well.

Just a few days before the announcement that Robinson had made the Hall of Fame, I was watching the NFL Network when longtime NFL executive and talent evaluator Mike Lombardi volunteered the following on Cunningham: “The best punter I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Cunningham was a two-time All-American at UNLV who led the nation in punting in 1984 with a 47.5 average. That same year he led the nation in completion percentage (62.4 percent) when he completed 207-of-332 passes for 2,628 yards and 24 touchdowns.

How many players in NCAA history have led the nation in two major categories the same season, especially two as diverse as punting and passing?

Cunningham also averaged 45.7 yards as a sophomore in 1982 and 43.5 in 1983. He passed for at least 2,545 yards in all three seasons as a starting quarterback for the Rebels. And along with BYU’s Steve Young, you could make a pretty fair argument that Cunningham, who would go on to earn NFL Player of the Year honors with the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, helped redefine the quarterback position in the early 80’s with his explosive running ability.

“No question that he and Steve Young brought about the birth of the athletic quarterback in the NFL,” UNLV head coach Mike Sanford, who went head-to-head against Cunningham during his assistant coaching days at Long Beach State, said. “Without a doubt Randall deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I thought he was definitely a dominant football player for his era. He was a great quarterback AND a great punter. I thought that he was going to get in this year.”

It seems like a no-brainer. But then so was putting John Robinson in ahead of John Cooper. And nothing against Gino Torretta and Major Harris, the two QBs who made it into the Hall of Fame this year. But I think it’s fair to say they aren’t in Randall’s class as a quarterback … much less as a punter.

The folks at the Hall of Fame finally got it right with Robinson this year. Let’s hope next year they can fix the slight of Randall Cunningham next year.

UNLV will finally be represented in the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

Former Rebels head coach and athletic director John Robinson was one of two coaches to be selected along with 16 players for the Class of 2009 during an announcement this morning in New York City. The class was picked by the National Football Foundation’s 13-member Honors Court which considers voting results from 12,000 members of the NFF.

Robinson is the first player or head coach associated with UNLV to be voted into the prestigious College Football Hall of Fame. Quarterback/punter Randall Cunningham appeared on the ballot but was not selected.

“I kind of had a clue from an anonymous source that I might get in but I still haven’t heard from anyone from the Hall of Fame,” Robinson said from his home in Carlsbad, Calif., about 45 minutes after the live announcement on ESPNEWS that he said he did not watch. “It’s a great honor.

“You start making a list of people to thank and it could go on forever. It starts with my parents and family members. I also had some really great assistant coaches that played a big part in all of this. Guys like Norv Turner, Hudson Houck, R.C. Slocum, John Jackson, Marv Goux, Gil Haskill to name a few. And of course all the players I got to coach. One of the great rewards of coaching is running into a guy who played for you who maybe was just a third stringer but tells you what an impact you had on him. That along with the interaction with all the players and coaches are more important than the wins.”

Robinson also credited his head coach at Oregon, Len Casanova, as well as legendary USC coach John McKay, who helped groom him as as assistant. Both are also members of the College Football Hall of Fame.

It’s been a good year for Robinson, long regarded as one of the truly “good guys” in the coaching profession. He also will be enshrined in USC’s Hall of Fame during a dinner on May 9.

The College Football Hall of Fame finalist ballot consisted of 76 All-America players and six elite former coaches. The 2009 class will be inducted as part of the NFF’s Annual Awards Dinner scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8, at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The class will then be officially enshrined during ceremonies at the Hall of Fame in South Bend in the summer of 2010.

Robinson began his legendary head coaching career at the USC in 1976 stepping into the big shoes left by McKay who departed for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers after winning four national titles. There was no drop off, however, as Robinson led the Trojans to a share of the 1978 national championship and two No. 2 rankings while also producing a pair of Heisman Trophy winners (Charles White and Marcus Allen) over a seven-year span.

After leaving to coach the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams from 1983 to 1991, he returned to USC in 1993 for five years where he led the Trojans to a Rose Bowl win over Northwestern while also producing the No. 1 pick of the 1996 NFL Draft in wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. He finished his career at UNLV starting in 1999 when he inherited a team that had gone winless a year earlier. Two years later he coached the Rebels to a 31-14 win over Arkansas in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl, the team’s last bowl appearance.

Robinson, who also served as UNLV’s athletic director for 17 months beginning in 2002, finished his college coaching record with a 132-77-4 record over 18 seasons. He went 8-1 in bowls, including a perfect 4-0 in the Rose Bowl, for a winning percentage (.889) that is the highest in college history among coaches with at least five appearances.

Here’s the entire list of the 2009 Hall of Fame Class.

PLAYERS
PERVIS ATKINS – HB, New Mexico State (1958-60)
TIM BROWN – WR, Notre Dame (1984-87)
CHUCK CECIL – DB, Arizona (1984-87)
ED DYAS – FB, Auburn (1958-60)
MAJOR HARRIS – QB, West Virginia (1987-89)
GORDON HUDSON – TE, Brigham Young (1980-83)
WILLIAM LEWIS* – C, Harvard (1892-93)
WOODROW LOWE – LB, Alabama (1972-75)
KEN MARGERUM – WR, Stanford (1977-80)
STEVE McMICHAEL – DT, Texas (1976-79)
CHRIS SPIELMAN – LB, Ohio State (1984-87)
LARRY STATION – LB, Iowa (1982-85)
PAT SWILLING – DE, Georgia Tech (1982-85)
GINO TORRETTA – QB, Miami (Fla.) (1989-92)
CURT WARNER – RB, Penn State (1979-82)
GRANT WISTROM – DE, Nebraska (1994-97)

COACHES
DICK MacPHERSON – 111-73-5 (.601) – Massachusetts (1971-77), Syracuse (1981-90)
JOHN ROBINSON – 132-77-4 (.629) – USC (1976-82, 1993-97), UNLV (1999-2004)

Last weekend’s NFL draft provided a special moment for UNLV’s football coaching staff when running back Frank “The Tank” Summers was selected in the fifth round by the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. That meant the Rebels had one more player picked in the 2009 draft than schools like UCLA, Washington, Stanford and Boise State and tied UNLV with Notre Dame and Miami.

Jimmy Morimoto, UNLV’s assistant recruiting coordinator, had even more reason to smile.

The Cleveland Browns in the fourth round drafted one of Morimoto’s former players from Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Hawaii, USC linebacker Kaluka Maiava, the 2009 Rose Bowl MVP.

Morimoto was defensive coordinator at Baldwin in 2004 when Maiava earned Gatorade state player of the year honors. The Bears’ defense allowed an average of just three points and 112 yards per game that year.

“He’s the first player ever drafted from Maui,” Morimoto said. “That’s huge for the island.”

Maiava will be playing linebacker alongside former UNLV star Beau Bell and also on the same defense as former Rebel corner Eric Wright.

Although Maiava is the first football player from Maui to be drafted by the NFL, the island known more for its sunny beaches and lush tourist resorts has produced two current Major League baseball stars, Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies and catcher Kurt Suzuki of the Oakland A’s.

And UNLV redshirt freshman guard offensive guard Sean Tesoro, listed as a starter for the Rebels at the end of spring practice, is another Baldwin High product who played for Morimoto.

UNLV announced this afternoon that a memorial service for former Runnin’ Rebel basketball star Glen Gondrezick will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. inside the Thomas & Mack Center.

The public is invited to the service which will be the only public celebration for Gondrezick.  Details of a family funeral are still being finalized.

The graduate of Boulder (Colo.) High School was one of Jerry Tarkanian’s first recruits at UNLV and lettered from 1973-74 through the 1976-77 season. Gondrezick went on to finish as the 16th-leading scorer in UNLV basketball history with 1,311 points and played a major role in the Runnin’ Rebels advancing to their first NCAA Final Four in 1977.

UNLV retired Gondo’s No. 25 jersey on Dec. 27, 1997. He was also inducted in the school’s Hall of Fame in 1987.

UNLV is still putting the finishing touches on next season’s Runnin Rebels non-conference basketball schedule with two more home games to be filled.

One of those will likely be filled by a Division II opponent so as to not hurt the team’s all important RPI (D-II games don’t count against the RPI). The other is expected to be against a marquee opponent. And UNLV head coach Lon Kruger said Tuesday that he is “hopeful” that marquee opponent could be Louisville.

Think that game would create a little bit of a buzz?

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino once showed strong interest in the Runnin’ Rebel head coaching position before taking the Cardinals’ job instead. And of course there’s the matter of UNLV’s 56-55 upset of the then No. 18-rated Cardinals last New Year’s Eve at historic Freedom Hall, one of the biggest wins of the Kruger Era of UNLV hoops.

Pitino left the court swiftly after that one without shaking Kruger’s hand, an incident the UNLV coach quickly downplayed.

Lets hope the two schools can shake hands soon on a rematch for this year at the Thomas & Mack.

UNLV offensive lineman Johan Asiata (6-4, 310) signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears today according to the team’s website.

Asiata was a two-year starter for the Rebels at both tackle and guard. He is originally from Christ Church, New Zealand.

UNLV has a connection with the Bears coaching staff. Tight ends coach Rob Boras was offensive line coach from 1999-2003 for John Robinson.

High-flying swingman DeShawn Mitchell, a fan favorite for his highlight-reel dunks and shot blocks, was granted his release by UNLV head basketball coach Lon Kruger this morning.

“I really enjoyed my year at UNLV and wish the coaches and players nothing but success in the future,” Mitchell said in a prepared release from UNLV. “It is important for me to look for a situation that will provide me with a more significant role and more playing time.”

The 6-foot-4 Mitchell, who played in 21 games this past season, played an average of 5.4 minutes per game. He averaged 1.6 points and 0.8 rebounds per contest, while shooting 50 percent from the field (14-for-28). However, he struggled shooting from the perimeter and connected on just 46.4 percent (6-of-13) of his free throws.

“We really appreciate DeShawn’s effort this past year,” Kruger said. “We hope he finds a place that is a good fit for him so he can play a bigger role in the future.”

The departure of Mitchell gives UNLV two open scholarships for 2009 to go along with one in 2010. Kruger could use those two for unsigned prep or junior college recruits, transfers or hold onto them for 2010 to help balance out his classes.

I guess there is something to the old adage that “where there’s smoke there’s fire.”

Ever since UNLV’s Pro Day in early March it appeared the Pittsburgh Steelers were the NFL team most interested in obtaining the services of Rebel running back Frank “The Tank” Summers. The Steelers sent running backs coach Kirby Wilson and two scouts to Las Vegas to work the 5-10, 241-pounder out.

But Summers said he was still surprised when the Steelers did indeed draft him late in the fifth round with the 169th pick of the draft on Sunday.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Summers said from his home in Oakland. “I couldn’t really believe it. I’m very happy.”

Summers said he didn’t recognize the phone number when his cell phone rang around 12:45.

“Then I heard that deep voice of Coach (Mike Tomlin),” Summers said. “He said ‘I have some good news and bad news for you.’ He then told me that they were going to draft me. He told me they were going to need me to run the ball in certain situations. He told me they were going to need me to block. He told me they were going to need me to play some special teams for them.”

Evidently running, blocking and playing special teams for the defending Super Bowl champions was “the bad news.”

“I was just overwhelmed and excited,” Summers said. “Obviously I feel very blessed and fortunate to be put into this opportunity. I think that I was put in the best situation possible. The Steelers are a great organization. They just won the Super Bowl, and I don’t think I could be with a better team in the world right now.”

Summers leaves Thursday for mini camp with the Steelers.

“I just want to do anything I can do to help the team,” he said. “I’m so excited. I’m looking forward to getting a Super Bowl ring of my own now.”

Running back Frank “The Tank” Summers is UNLV’s best bet to have his named called out during this weekend’s NFL Draft. The 5-foot-9, 240-pounder has personally visited four NFL teams — Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland — and says he’s been getting a handful of calls each day from NFL teams showing interest.

“It’s really been picking up lately,” Summers said from his home in Oakland where he’ll watch the draft. “About four or five teams call me each day.”

Summers said most teams are telling him that he’ll be drafted but “I’m not listening to any of that. You just have to wait and see how it goes.”

The Steelers seem to be the team that has shown the most interest in Summers, sending running backs coach Kirby Wilson and two scouts out to his Pro Day at UNLV last month. They also flew him to Pittsburgh for another day of meetings.

But Summers, who recently maxed out at 455 pounds in the bench press and was timed at 4.55 in the forty, wouldn’t bite when asked if one team had shown more interest than the others.

“No, not really,” he said. “You just never know what is going to happen. Sometimes it is the team that doesn’t talk to you before the draft that picks you.”

Summers, who attended Skyline High in Oakland, met with both the 49ers and Raiders recently. Wearing the silver and black was something he contemplated while growing up in the Bay Area.

“Their facility is just about five minutes from here,” Summers said. “I used to go to all their home games. I’ve definitely thought about that.”

He said he isn’t battling any nerves — yet — while waiting for this weekend’s draft to unfold.

“No, I’m not nervous,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay relaxed. The way I look at it is that I’ve done all that I can do. The rest is up to them now.”

UPDATE: Summers was indeed chosen by Pittsburgh on Sunday in the 5th round with the 169th pick of the draft.

UNLV head football coach Mike Sanford held his end of spring practice press gathering on Tuesday afternoon in his Lied Athletic Complex office before departing to watch spring football practice at Yale of all places.

UNLV the Yale of the West? Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it … except when it comes to football.

Relax, Rebel fans. Sanford is going to observe Yale’s practice because his son, Mike Jr., a former Rebel grad assistant, is now tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs. And he’s using a frequent flyer ticket to do it. He also plans to visit with the New York Giants and Jets while he’s back east.

Sanford called this year’s spring practice his best as head coach of the Rebels. I asked him to name three players who stepped it up and enjoyed the best springs for his team.

“(Junior defensive tackle) Malo Taumua, Rodelin Anthony and Michael Johnson,” Sanford replied.

“He’s so fast,” Sanford said of Taumua. “He’s lighter now at 268 pounds. He’s very, very quick and hard to block.”

Both Anthony and Johnson wound up No. 1 at their wide receiving spots after strong springs joining All-American candidate Ryan Wolfe and sophomore Phillip “Mr. Touchdown” Payne.

“(Johnson) became a receiver,” Sanford said. “Last year he was more of an athlete playing receiver. But he has really competed and worked hard and become a good receiver. We needed to find a way to put him on the field.”

Johnson backed up Wolfe last year but finished the spring No. 1 at the “Z” receiving spot.

Sanford said he expects several true freshman receivers, including Marcus Sullivan of Cheyenne High, to compete for spots on the two-deep in fall camp.

UNLV head football coach Mike Sanford had a lot to be happy about following Friday night’s Spring Game at Sam Boyd Stadium.

First, the Rebels completed their 15 spring practices without suffering any major injuries. Second, sophomore quarterback Mike Clausen showed he’ll be more than a capable backup to starter Omar Clayton after garnering unofficial scrimmage MVP honors by completing 10 of 14 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns against the No. 2 defense.

And the secondary, the area of biggest concern heading into next season, had its share of highlights with junior college corners Kenny Brown and Warren Zeigler both more than holding their own against Phillip Payne and company.

But perhaps the biggest news came off the field.

Well over 30 recruits, including most of the top prospects in southern Nevada, attended the game. And two out of state prospects were so impressed that they gave verbal commitments to the Rebels before departing.

First up was linebacker Austin Arias (6-0, 215) of Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial High School, one of the top prospects in Arizona in 2010. Arias, a teammate of incoming Rebel linebacker recruit Reggie Umuolo, had 110 tackles as a junior for the state 5A-2 champion Coyotes and was named the Desert West Region’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The big surprise, however, was the commitment from defensive tackle Quentin Jones (6-0, 306, 5.24) of Northland High in Columbus, Ohio.

The honorable mention all-state performer who had 63 tackles and six sacks as a junior said he had been receiving recruiting interest from a number of SEC and Big Ten schools but was so impressed with UNLV that he decided to commit Friday night.

“I came out here this weekend and liked what I’ve seen,” Jones said. “I’ve already been on unofficial trips to Kentucky, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan. UNLV was the first school to offer and a lot of the other schools said the (scholarship) offers would be coming in the mail. (But) UNLV took a chance on me first so I made a commitment here.”

Verbal commitments are non-binding but Jones said his pledge is a solid one … even if the hometown Buckeyes were to come calling.

“No sir, this is solid,” Jones said.

Basketball recruitaholics will note that Jones is from the same high school, Columbus Northland, as the nation’s No. 1 junior basketball prospect, power forward Jared Sullinger (6-9, 245). Sullinger has already committed to Ohio State.

Former Findlay Prep basketball star Victor Rudd, once a key recruiting target for UNLV, has decided to sign with Arizona State according to Scout.com.

“It just came down to what was right for me,”  Rudd told Scout.com’s DevilsDigest site. “It was between Arizona State and Arizona and I believe that it (ASU) is the right place for me. I think I can rally help them up front.”

UNLV, Gonzaga and Marquette were among the other early suitors for the 6-foot-8 Rudd, who attended a Runnin’ Rebel practice in February. However, he was booted off the eventual national high school championship Findlay Prep a few weeks later following an altercation with another Pilot player.

Rudd was suspended from the team and was told he would have to apologize to his teammates before he would be reinstated. However, he left school and returned to his home in California instead.

A number of schools backed off Rudd after the incident. Academics were also reportedly a question mark for Rudd.

UNLV still has one scholarship to give but UNLV head coach Lon Kruger hinted that could eventually go to a transfer.

An early 8:30 start and at times very windy conditions didn’t seem to bother UNLV’s football team much during their second major spring scrimmage on Friday morning.

Some of the highlights:

* Senior wide receiver Rodelin Anthony (6-5, 230) continues to pick up where he left off after a strong finish to the 2008 season and should be an impact player next fall. Anthony caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on a quick slant from backup quarterback Mike Clauson, broke two tackles on another 23-yard reception down the middle, and had three catches for 63 yards.

“He’s got a lot of good things going for him,” UNLV head coach Mike Sanford said. “Six-five, 230 (pounds) … and can run. He is capitalizing on and carrying over what he did in the fall. That’s something he needs to continue to do because I really think that he can be a weapon for us.”

* Sophomore tailback C.J. Cox showed some surprising speed around the corner on a 16-yard sweep around left tackle for another score.

* Sophomore WR Phillip Payne had his usual highlight-reel grab, going high between defensive backs David Biggs and Calvin Randleman to grab a long pass down the sidelines. He also went 50-yards for a touchdown on a slant.

* Junior tailback Channing Trotter had the offensive play of the day. The 5-foot-8, 200-pounder from Mesa, Ariz., seemingly plowed through the entire defense on one 17-yard carry, losing his helmet on a hit near the end of the run and yet still dragged a pair of defenders about three more yards. The sidelines erupted after the play.

“A tremendous run,” Sanford said.

* Former starting QB Travis Dixon, who moved to safety last season, showed he can play a little defense too with one of the day’s top plays. Dixon forced a fumble when he came up into the gap to nail running Imari Thompson and then also recovered the ball.

* Junior defensive tackle Malo Tuamua and junior defensive end Isaako Aaitui combined to sack backup quarterback Les Obie on one play in what one observer called a “Samoan Sandwich.” Both starred up front for the first team defense as did linebacker Nate Carter.

* And freshman walk-on kick Allen Hartison, a soccer player from Corona del Mar, Calif., who asked the coaches for a chance to try out for the football team, could be a factor in the kicking game sooner than later. He nailed a 52-yard field goal that cleared the crossbar easily and just came up short on a 60-yarder. He appeared to out-kick returning kickers Kyle Watson and Ben Jaekle in the scrimmage.

“We’ve got three kickers now,” Sanford said. “He a soccer player who wanted to come out for football. He’s kind of had a low profile so far. He’s shown up well so we let him kick with our regular PAT/field goal today and he did a very good job. He’s got a strong leg. … He’s got a chance to contribute. We’ll see.”

Overall, the Rebels, who will now take a week off for spring break before returning for their final three spring practices, looked much sharper and deeper on both sides of the ball than any UNLV team since early in the John Robinson Era.

“The big difference is just our maturity this year,” senior wide receiver Ryan Wolfe said. “We know everything we need to do offensively. We’re not inventing anything new or putting anything completely different in but instead we are working on just the little things that we didn’t get done last year.”

The Rebels appear particularly deep at wide receiver. Even senior Renan Saint Preaux, who played mainly on the second and third units, drew praise from head coach Mike Sanford for his play in the scrimmage.

“It’s exciting,” Wolfe said. “The twos and threes are pushing the ones. It makes for some healthy competition and brings out the best in the entire group.”

“I thought out No. 1 defense played very well today,” Sanford said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do with our No. 2 defense. As we know from last year, there’s times when guys go down and we’ve got to have guys that step in and step up for them. That’s something that we have to improve.”

SCRIMMAGE NOTES: The only player who had to leave the scrimmage was Dixon with what Sanford called “a very bad cramp.” He walking fine afterward. … Top quarterback recruit Caleb Herring of Citrus Hill High School in Perris, Calif., attended the scrimmage along with his father Michael. Sanford hopes to redshirt the 6-4, 180-pounder next fall but he will still travel with the team as an emergency quarterback behind No. 1 Omar Clayton and backups Mike Clauson and Les Obie. … RB/DB Tyler York (5-11, 195, 4.54), a two-time first team all state pick who helped lead Reno McQueen High School to the state 4A title last fall, also attended practice with his father.

One of these years the Mountain West Conference might give UNLV’s football program a break and actually give the team a bye week before its annual Fremont Cannon showdown with Nevada, a.k.a. “The Team Up North.”

The MWC finally got around to releasing the 2009 schedule on Thursday just five months before the season kicks off. And the Rebels, who were hoping for an extra week to prepare for the Oct. 3 game with the Wolf Pack in Reno after playing three straight weekends against Sacramento State, Oregon State and Hawaii, instead find themselves headed to lovely Laramie, Wyoming for their conference opener on Sept. 26.

Back-to-back road trips to Laramie and Reno. Doesn’t get better than that, does it?

I’m guessing Chris Ault will be able to convince the head honchos at the WAC to give his squad Sept. 26 off and a full two weeks to once again get ready for their in-state rival.

Wait, it gets better. The Rebels do get a bye week during the conference season to help heal their bumps and bruises … on Nov. 21st … before concluding the MWC season against San Diego State on Thanksgiving weekend at Sam Boyd Stadium.

I guess it could be worse. TCU, perhaps the league’s best bet to make a run at a BCS bowl, got stuck with its bye in Week No. 1 and will then play 12 straight weeks.

In a perfect world, the MWC would find a way to give all of its teams a bye somewhere between Week 4 and Week 9 when it would do the most good for their student-athletes.

A bye before the season-finale? Thanks for nothing.

Here’s the 2009 UNLV football schedule:

DATE             OPPONENT                    SITE                     TV               TIME (PT)
Sept. 5        SACRAMENTO STATE        LAS VEGAS        None        7:00 pm
Sept. 12        OREGON STATE        LAS VEGAS        CBS C HD        8:00 pm
Sept. 19        HAWAII        LAS VEGAS        The Mtn.        6:00 pm
Sept. 26        at Wyoming*        Laramie, WY        None        12:00 pm
Oct. 3        at Nevada, Reno        Reno, NV        TBA        TBA
Oct. 10        BYU*        LAS VEGAS        The Mtn.        7:00 pm
Oct. 17        UTAH*        LAS VEGAS        The Mtn.        7:00 pm
Oct. 24        at New Mexico*        Albuquerque, NM        The Mtn.        5:00 pm
Oct. 31        at TCU*        Fort Worth, TX        VERSUS HD        1:00 pm
Nov. 7        COLORADO STATE*        LAS VEGAS        The Mtn.        7:00 pm
Nov. 14        at Air Force*        Colorado Springs        The Mtn.        3:00 pm
Nov. 21        BYE WEEK
Nov. 28        SAN DIEGO STATE*        LAS VEGAS        The Mtn.         6:00 pm
*Mountain West Conference Game