This will be the first-ever game between UNLV and Ohio State even though UNLV is no stranger to the current Big Ten. The trip to Ohio Stadium is another installment in a recent Midwestern push for the Rebels. Recent games against the Big Ten include home-and-homes with Wisconsin (2010, 2011) and Minnesota (2012, 2013), as well as a trip to Michigan Stadium in 2015.
All have ended poorly for the Rebels as have previous games against members of the current Big Ten. The Rebels are 2-14 all-time against schools in the current Big Ten. On average, the Rebels lose to the Big Ten every contest by about three touchdowns.
UNLV's record against the Big Ten starts innocently enough against what amounts to be the program's favorite Big Ten opponent. UNLV scheduled a home-and-home with Wisconsin for 1985 and 1986 the first of 10 encounters to date between the Badgers and the Rebels.
| Season | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | @ Michigan | L, 7-28 |
| 2013 | @ Minnesota | L, 23-51 |
| 2012 | Minnesota | L, 27-30 (3 OT) |
| 2011 | @ Wisconsin | L, 17-51 |
| 2010 | Wisconsin | L, 21-41 |
| 2007 | Wisconsin | L, 13-20 |
| 2004 | @ Wisconsin | L, 3-18 |
| 2003 | @ Wisconsin | W, 23-5 |
| 2002 | Wisconsin | L, 7-27 |
| 2001 | Northwestern | L, 28-37 |
| 1998 | @ Northwestern | L, 7-41 |
| 1998 | @ Wisconsin | L, 7-52 |
| 1996 | Wisconsin | L, 17-52 |
| 1988 | @ Nebraska* | L, 6-48 |
| 1986 | Wisconsin | W, 17-7 |
| 1985 | @ Wisconsin | L, 6-26 |
The first leg began with a sizable Wisconsin victory in Camp Randall for a Wisconsin team that finished 5-6 that year (even if one of those wins came at No. 3 Ohio State). UNLV was all right by its meager standards in 1985, finishing 5-5-1.
UNLV got a small measure of revenge against an even worse Wisconsin team the following year in Las Vegas. The Rebels prevailed 17-7 against interim head coach Jim Hilles' Badgers.
The game was conspicuous for a variety of reasons. Wisconsin made history as the first Big Ten team to play in Las Vegas either at UNLV or in a post-season/exhibition game of any kind. A broken sewage pipe flooded Wisconsin's locker room prior to kickoff. Ickey Woods, who Bengals' fans may recall fondly, scored the game-clinching touchdown in the fourth-quarter on a 14-yard run. Current Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst was a backup quarterback on that Wisconsin team as well but did not play despite Wisconsin's offensive struggles in that contest.
The experience did not sour Wisconsin or other teams from traveling to Sam Boyd Stadium to play UNLV. Wisconsin returned in 1996 to maul the Rebels in what amounted to the largest team sporting event in Nevada's history to that point. A record 40,091 fans--3/4ths of them being Wisconsin fans---watched Ron Dayne and Wisconsin's offensive line devour UNLV whole. Wisconsin racked up 380 yards on the ground and cruised to an easy 52-17 victory.
The follow-up UNLV trip to Wisconsin in 1998 ended even worse, a 52-7 Badgers' win.
Northwestern scheduled a home-and-home with UNLV that started the same year as its trip to Madison. It opened the season that year at Ryan Field, losing 41-7 to Northwestern in what would be a limp end to the Gary Barnett era in Evanston. The Wildcats finished 3-9 in a 1998 season punctuated by an eight-game losing streak.
Northwestern was a better team in 2001 when it traveled to Las Vegas to open the season at UNLV. The Wildcats were the surprise team of 2000, co-champs of the Big Ten, and the preseason favorite to repeat as conference champions in 2001. The season-opener at UNLV foretold a disappointing season to follow. The Wildcats prevailed 37-28 against a UNLV team that finished 4-7.
UNLV began what amounted to a six-game series with Wisconsin the following year when Wisconsin returned to Las Vegas. This game had another conspicuous snafu. The power went out when a cable short-circuited with seven minutes and 41 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin had a comfortable 27-7 lead at that point. The game was never in doubt even if a UNLV comeback remained a trivial possibility. Both coaches met in the darkness at Sam Boyd Stadium and agreed to call the game.
This created an interesting record-keeping dilemma. By rule, a game that does not go at least 55 minutes is not considered "official" by Vegas' betting standards. Both UNLV and Wisconsin record books list the outcome as a 27-7 Wisconsin victory but those who stood to gain money from bets on the contest had their bets refunded.
The 2002 game in Las Vegas was weird but the 2003 trip to Madison was ugly. John Robinson's Rebels entered Camp Randall as 20-point underdogs and left Madison with a 23-5 win. Even that final score belies how woefully unprepared Wisconsin was. The Badgers had five turnovers and conceded eight sacks. Wisconsin's offensive coordinator summarized the game bluntly when he remarked, "we didn't resemble a team that plays college football."
UNLV's games against Big Ten schools thereafter have been rather banal. The series against Wisconsin concluded with a home-and-home in which Wisconsin swept UNLV by a combined 54 points. The home-and-home with Minnesota that followed had a little more intrigue. It began with a three-overtime win for the Gophers in Sam Boyd Stadium even though Minnesota cruised to a four-touchdown victory in its 2013 season-opener.
The Rebels next visited Ann Arbor for the first time to take on Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines. Michigan took a 21-0 lead to halftime and ultimately won 28-7.
UNLV will visit Ohio Stadium under similar circumstances as a 39-point underdog. It will continue a Midwestern push for the program that next includes a stop at Northwestern in 2019. The games against Big Ten schools have been mostly ugly encounters for the Rebels. Two upsets stand out since UNLV first played a Big Ten team in 1985. A few games have even been weird contests on top of that. But, the typical result resembles what fans expect to see tomorrow afternoon in Ohio Stadium.
