Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 120. UNLV
Viva Las Vegas
Viva, Las Vegas. UNLV narrowly escapes the bottom 10, coming in at the 12th worst team of the last 40 years. They’ve produced some memorable players including QB Randall Cunningham, RB Ickey Woods (Ickey Shuffle), and WR Keenan McCardell, but it hasn’t translated to consistent success.
Best Seasons and Highlights
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| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+------------------+------+--------------+--------+
| 15 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1984 | 20.935 | 11-2 |
| 45 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2000 | -1.269 | 8-5 |
| 47 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1983 | -4.432 | 7-4 |
| 52 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1994 | -7.912 | 7-5 |
| 63 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2003 | -11.249 | 6-6 |
| 65 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1986 | -14.49 | 6-5 |
| 78 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2013 | -15.08 | 7-6 |
| 63 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1985 | -18.159 | 5-5-1 |
| 74 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1992 | -20.416 | 6-5 |
| 76 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2002 | -25.13 | 5-7 |
| 79 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1987 | -25.328 | 5-6 |
| 85 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2001 | -26.174 | 4-7 |
| 90 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2009 | -26.735 | 5-7 |
| 92 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2008 | -26.908 | 5-7 |
| 99 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2017 | -27.084 | 5-7 |
| 105 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2022 | -27.746 | 5-7 |
| 89 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1990 | -34.512 | 4-7 |
| 83 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1989 | -34.703 | 4-7 |
| 101 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2018 | -35.131 | 4-8 |
| 87 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1988 | -35.929 | 4-7 |
| 111 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2019 | -36.246 | 4-8 |
| 91 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1993 | -37.171 | 3-8 |
| 108 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2016 | -37.84 | 4-8 |
| 94 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1997 | -39.278 | 3-8 |
| 92 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1991 | -42.248 | 4-7 |
| 109 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2015 | -43.104 | 3-9 |
| 103 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1999 | -45.047 | 3-8 |
| 116 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2021 | -45.478 | 2-10 |
| 110 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2007 | -46.014 | 2-10 |
| 108 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2004 | -46.404 | 2-9 |
| 124 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2020 | -47.258 | 0-6 |
| 111 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2005 | -52.328 | 2-9 |
| 113 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2006 | -53.779 | 2-10 |
| 117 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2012 | -56.501 | 2-11 |
| 115 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2011 | -58.448 | 2-10 |
| 115 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2010 | -59.17 | 2-11 |
| 123 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2014 | -59.276 | 2-11 |
| 107 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1996 | -61.108 | 1-11 |
| 110 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1998 | -66.009 | 0-11 |
| 108 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1995 | -67.029 | 2-9 |
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Overall Score: -3697.71147 (120th)158-304-1 record
2 conference titles
3-1 bowl record
1 consensus All-American
24 NFL players drafted
Aside from the 0.341 winning percentage, there’s a lot to like here. 2 conference titles, a winning bowl record, a consensus All-American, and nearly 25 NFL players drafted? We’re starting to see some decent success in this series, UNLV being one example. Unfortunately, most of it hasn’t come recently. 5 of UNLV’s 10 worst seasons have come since 2010, and only 1 of their 10 best seasons have occurred in the same stretch.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst: 1995 (2-9 overall, 1-5 Big West)
You might notice that this comes after 1994, UNLV’s 4th best season. UNLV also has 0-11 and 1-11 seasons. So what gives, why is 1995 the worst? One glance at the schedule tells you everything you need to know. They ranked dead last in the nation on defense, giving up 47.3 PPG with an average result of 20-47. UNLV ranked last in the country in my algorithm at 108th out of 108 teams. They somehow got a win over 6-5 Arkansas State in week 2, but that had to be a fluke. Losses included 0-38 to a 2-8-1 Rice team, 6-51 to Eastern Michigan, 14-62 to 3-8 Northern Illinois, 14-52 to 3-8 San Jose State, and 0-42 to 4-7 Utah State.
5. 2003 (6-6 overall, 2-5 MWC)
A team that went 2-5 in conference play is a top 5 UNLV team ever? You’re kidding, right? Hear me out, and take a look at the non-conference results…Led by College Football HOF coach John Robinson, things started well with a 28-18 victory over an eventual 8-4 Toledo team. After losing to a Kansas team that would make a bowl game, UNLV travelled to Camp Randall to play #14 Wisconsin on ESPN2. UNLV would be held to just 187 yards, but defense won the day as Wisconsin was held to 291 yards themselves, and UNLV shocked the nation with a 23-5 win. This was the same Wisconsin team that would beat #3 Ohio State to start 6-1! They’d beat (eventual 9-5) Hawaii and (eventual 6-6) Nevada to complete the non-conference slate of games. The rest of the season would be a wash, losing lots of close games and winning only 2 of the last 7. UNLV ended the season with a win over Wyoming to get the tiebreaker over the Cowboys and not finish last.
4. 1994 (7-5 overall, 5-1 Big West)
One year before their worst season ever. UNLV would tie for 1st in their 2nd to last season in the Big West, finishing 5-1 alongside Nevada and Southwestern Louisiana (now UL Lafayette). UNLV met in week 11 with heavily favored rival Nevada. UNLV was just 5-4 on the year while Nevada sat atop the conference at 9-1. The rivalry was especially poignant this year because of the history between the two teams’ coaches. Nevada coach Chris Ault had handpicked Jeff Horton to take over the Nevada job in 1993, but after Horton left for UNLV in ‘94, it forced Ault to return to the sidelines. UNLV scored with 58 seconds left to pull off a stunning 32-27 upset in what became known as “The Red Defection”. With the win, UNLV earned a share of the conference title and would play in the Las Vegas Bowl in the postseason, avenging an early season loss to Central Michigan by beating them 54-24 the second time around.
3. 1983 (7-4 overall, 4-2 PCAA)
In 1982, a QB by the name of Randall Cunningham stepped on campus and the rest was history. Cunningham threw for 2847 yards 17 TD 12 INT in his first year as a starter, and returned for his second season in 1983. UNLV outscored opponents 23.2-17.5 on the year and finished 2nd in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association with a 4-2 record. Cunningham had an even better season in 1983, this time throwing for 2545 18 TD 8 INT and led the PCAA in 8 different statistical categories including passer rating, completion percentage, total yards, and total TD. LB Kirk Dodge would be drafted after the season in the 7th round by the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, UNLV would later forfeit all victories in 1983, due to playing with ineligible players.
2. 2000 (8-5 overall, 4-3 MWC)
UNLV moved to the Mountain West in 1999, and things started to turn around for them in HC John Robinson’s 2nd season with the team in 2000. After starting 1-2, they took down unbeaten Air Force 34-13 in front of ABC viewers, the first time ABC had visited Las Vegas. The next week they set a record for the largest crowd for a Battle for Nevada game ever, as 27,578 people watched UNLV take down Nevada 38-7, ending a 5 game rivalry losing streak. The season came down to a nail biter in a 34-32 win over Hawaii to improve to 7-5 and clinch UNLV’s 3rd bowl appearance ever. In the Las Vegas bowl, they beat an Arkanas team coming off wins over #13 Mississippi State and #24 LSU to finish 8-5 on the year. A very underrated defense gave up just 21.2 PPG, and had 4 players selected in the 2002 NFL Draft with 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th round picks.
1. 1984 (11-2 overall, 7-0 PCAA)
I’ve said it at least 10 times and I’ll say it again, every team has their glory year. UNLV’s 1984 season stands so far above the rest for them. This was Randall Cunningham’s final year with the Rebels, and he’d throw for 2898 yards 26 TD 10 INT, repeating as the PCAA OPOTY. He’d also have another fantastic season as UNLV’s PUNTER, averaging 46.5 yards per boot, earning 2nd Team All-American by the AP to go alongside his 1st team All-American in 1983. RB Kirk Jones, who chose UNLV over Texas and UCLA as a recruit, was a 1000 yard rusher, and backup RB Tony Lewis spelled with 1000+ yards from scrimmage himself. Games were close throughout the year—only 3 of UNLV’s 11 wins came by more than two possessions. They finished unblemished in the PCAA though, earning a California Bowl bid against 8-2-1 Toledo. UNLV showed their prowess, and took them down 30-13 to finish 11-2 on the year. 4 players from the 1984 team were drafted into the NFL including Cunningham and reserve RB Ickey Woods. As of 2009, seven UNLV players including Kirk Jones had passed away, gone too soon. Their memory lives on from that great 1984 team, may they rest in peace.
5th Quarter
Was Randall Cunningham a better quarterback or punter? And how can UNLV return to the glory days of the 80’s? Perhaps in the NIL era, a Las Vegas school can find some funds they previously couldn’t.
Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years - Main Hub
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