Associated Press
Michigan Stadium, aka “The Big House”
Monday, Sept. 14, 2015 | 2 a.m.
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For one afternoon, the UNLV football team will be front and center on one of college football’s largest and most historic stages. It should be a record-setting day for the Rebel program.
A capacity crowd of 109,901 is expected Sept. 19 at Michigan Stadium when the Rebels play the Wolverines on the Big Ten Network. That would break the UNLV record for most fans watching a Rebel game in person and would exceed the total number of fans UNLV drew last season at home.
WATCH THE GAME
When: 9 a.m Sept. 19
TV: Big Ten Network, Cox Cable 312
Line: Michigan minus-29
Regardless of the outcome, it should be a good day for UNLV. In addition to national exposure, during which — if the Rebels hold their own — they’ll continue to impress in coach Tony Sanchez’s debut season, the team is getting a $1 million payday for taking the game.
A “buy game” is an important element for any athletics department struggling to make money. Essentially, top-shelf programs pay lesser teams to play one game and — presumably — get beaten. Of course, nothing in the contract requires losing, so the ultimate victory comes when a team walks away with the money and a win. UNLV has taken several buy games recently, including this week’s trip to the Big House, where the Rebels are getting more than four touchdowns on the betting board. Here are a few of UNLV’s past and planned buy games and the amount the program received for each:
• $750,000: UNLV lost at West Virginia, 49-10, on Oct. 9, 2010
• $1 million: At Michigan on Sept. 19
• $1.2 million: At USC on Aug. 31, 2019
• $1.3 million: At Ohio State on Sept. 23, 2017
UNLV crowd sizes
• 15,674: Average home attendance in 2014
• 43,075: Best all-time home attendance (Aug. 31, 2002, vs. Wisconsin. UNLV lost, 27-7)
• 94,043: Six-game total attendance for the 2014 home season
• 108,625: Largest attendance anywhere (Sept. 25, 2004, at Tennessee's Neyland Stadium. UNLV lost, 42-17)
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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