Bring on the Cougars: UNLV, BYU announce 2-game football series

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 | 10:56 a.m.

UNLV football in 2020 will begin play in the new 65,000-seat Las Vegas stadium it will share with the NFL's Raiders.

On Nov. 2, 2024, the Rebels will likely set an attendance record. That’s when BYU, which has a significant Southern Nevada fan base, is scheduled to play in Las Vegas.

The Rebels and Cougars today announced a two-game series, starting on Nov. 4, 2023, when UNLV plays at the Provo, Utah, school.

UNLV’s best attended game in 2017 was when it hosted BYU, bringing 19,811 to Sam Boyd Stadium, which is still a strong showing considering BYU was struggling through a losing season and much of its fan base was disenchanted.

“UNLV has a long history with BYU, and geographically, it’s a perfect matchup for both schools,” UNLV Director of Athletics Desiree Reed-Francois said in a statement. “We continue working to offer our fans an attractive set of nonconference opponents for our move into the state-of-the-art Las Vegas stadium.”

The UNLV future schedule for nonconference opponents also includes: Cal (2020; 2026), Arizona State (2020), Iowa State (2021), Vanderbilt (2023) and UCLA (2025). The 2020 game against Cal will be the first game at the new stadium.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21