The sports radio talk shows in Las Vegas are buzzing over the approved $750 million funding from the state of Nevada toward the construction of a $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium.
Some fans and broadcasters are showing some serious zeal over the idea the University of Nevada at Las Vegas may be a future Power 5 program because of the potential drastic new stadium upgrade from the antiquated Sam Boyd Stadium, which is far removed from campus.
The funding, signed into law by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval on Oct. 17, sends to signal to Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis that Nevadans want NFL football. The proposed stadium, likely to be built close to The Strip, where UNLV’s campus is located, also has UNLV and its fan base thinking the Rebels can join the Pac-12 or Big 12 soon after its construction.
“We get into a Power 5 conference and on Saturdays, it’s UCLA against UNLV and that is happening every year,” UNLV coach Tony Sanchez told the Las Vegas Sun. “It’s UNLV versus a Baylor or something like that. It’s 60,000. We are going to get our butt going and win … All of a sudden you might have a sold-out Raider game on a (Sunday) and a sold-out UNLV game the next week on a Saturday.”
Sounds wonderful, but if all it took is an NFL stadium to merit Power 5 inclusion, why is San Diego State on the outside looking in? The Aztecs play in Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers. San Diego State would be ideal for the Pac-12 because of its location and television market.
One conference source indicated to me San Diego State is a longshot to join the Pac-12 if the conference expands relatively soon because of its academic standing. According to American Ranking of World Universities, of which four of the Pac-12 schools are in the top 20, San Diego State ranks between Nos. 401 through 500. Washington State also ranks between Nos. 401 through 500 but its partner school in the conference, Washington, ranks No. 15.
The last two Pac-12 expansion schools – Colorado and Utah — are in the top 100. Colorado is No. 38 and Utah No. 100. Washington State is the only institution not ranked in the top 400.
UNLV is not ranked in the top 500. That puts the university in a difficult position for Pac-12 presidents at top 20 academic institutions such as No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Cal-Berkeley, No. 12 UCLA and Washington to welcome the Rebels to their group.
The Big 12 may be a different story, although UNLV is based more in the West and would want enhanced exposure in California, not the Southwest and Midwest if it became a Power 5 school. The highest rated academic institution in the Big 12 is Texas at No. 44. Four of the Big 12 schools are not in the top 500 — Kansas State, Baylor, Texas Christian and Oklahoma.
The major concern for UNLV joining the Big 12 is the reluctance of that conference to expand. If the Big 12 did not expand now — deciding not to do so Oct. 17 — when can the Rebels expect to join that Power 5 conference? It may not occur for many years even after the proposed stadium opens. The Big 12 just turned down BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and Central Florida, among others. Will it jump at the chance at UNLV, a program without much of a football tradition, just because a 65,000-seat domed stadium might be built?
UNLV can still prosper with the potentially new stadium in addition to the $25 million Fertitta Football Complex, a 73,000-square-foot, two-level building where construction is expected to begin in the spring. What young recruit would not want to play in a brand new NFL stadium that is also the college’s home?
The stadium can also bring exposure to UNLV and its facilities with potential top-rated non-conference teams wanting to come to Las Vegas to play either against the Rebels or in a showcase preseason or postseason game against another top-ranked opponent. The Mountain West could move its championship game to the facility and it can become more of an event rather than the conference waiting for the College Football Playoff ranking in the last week of the season to determine the host.
The Pac-12’s successful men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas can potentially be experienced with football if that conference plays its title game at the stadium. UNLV can stand to gain financially from that as co-tenants of the facility with the Raiders.
So much good can come from this new stadium for UNLV, but not in the form of expansion to a Power 5 conference, at least not in the foreseeable future. As with most mid-majors, the pie-in-the-sky approach is not the way to go. Appreciate what you have and make the most out of it. Try to overcome Boise State as the identifiable power in the Mountain West, for example. That may not make for good sports radio but it’s the truth.
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