2016 UNLV Rebels Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks

by Robert Ferringo - 8/18/2016

2015 Record: 3-9

2016 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 5.5

2016 Season Win Total Picks NCAA Football: 'Under'

Tony Sanchez likely won't be able to turn around this perpetual Titanic of a football program. But he sure is trying to by force of sheer will. Sanchez, a renowned local high school coach, led a roster purge last year and quickly turned the Rebels into a feisty Mountain West competitor. After being outscored by 18 points per game in 2014, UNLV was outmatched by only five points per game last fall.

Sanchez now has 14 starters back this season (compared to just 10 last year) and is hoping that familiarity with his system will help the Rebels close the gap even further.

The most important decision for Sanchez this year is who will play quarterback. He will have to choose between JUCO transfer (and former Nebraska recruit) Johnny Stanton or last year's part-time starter Kurt Palandech. Whomever is under center will have a strong core of skill players and a decent line to work with from last year's respectable No. 59 total offense.

Defensively is where this team needs major improvement. They were No. 109 in total defense and No. 100 in points allowed. They have eight starters back, though, including a trio of three-year starting linebackers. Four of their top seven tacklers are gone. And this team desperately needs to find a way to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks after mustering just nine sacks last season.

UNLV could actually match last year's win total in the first five games. They host Jackson State, Idaho and Fresno State, all of whom are beatable. But it is hard to expect wins from a program that is just 32-92 straight up over the last 10 years. They will need to survive a stretch of three road games in four weeks leading into their bye. And after that wins over rival Nevada and at home against Wyoming are possible.

It is sad that UNLV's three wins last year were just the second time in six years that they've won more than two games. And the three victories were actually the fourth-best total of the last 10 years. I think Sanchez has this team going in the right direction. But a leap to bowl eligibility for just the third time since 1994 seems like a stretch.

2016 UNLV Rebels Schedule

DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (ET)	Location	Result
Thu, Sep 1st, 2016	Jackson_State	10:00 PM	Sam Boyd Stadium
Sat, Sep 10th, 2016	at Ucla	08:00 PM	Rose Bowl
Sat, Sep 17th, 2016	at Central_Michigan	03:00 PM	Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Sat, Sep 24th, 2016	Idaho	09:00 PM	Sam Boyd Stadium
Sat, Oct 1st, 2016	Fresno_State	10:30 PM	Sam Boyd Stadium
Sat, Oct 8th, 2016	at San_Diego_State	03:00 PM	Qualcomm Stadium
Sun, Oct 16th, 2016	at Hawaii	0:00 AM	Hawaiian Airlines Field
Sat, Oct 22nd, 2016	Colorado_State	05:30 PM	Sam Boyd Stadium
Sat, Oct 29th, 2016	at San_Jose_State	10:30 PM	Spartan Stadium
Sat, Nov 12th, 2016	Wyoming	03:00 PM	Sam Boyd Stadium
Fri, Nov 18th, 2016	at Boise_State	09:00 PM	Albertsons Stadium
Sat, Nov 26th, 2016	Reno_Nevada	03:00 PM	Sam Boyd Stadium

All Times EST

Robert Ferringo is one of the top football handicappers in the country and tallied an unrivaled $20,800 in football profit between 2011 and 2016, including his amazing 2013 NFL season in which he hit 62.1 percent (95-58). Robert has produced 14 of 22 winning football months and an amazing 37 of 57 winning football months over the past decade. Robert has eight of nine winning NFL preseasons and he is at nearly 60 percent winners over his last 750 totals picks.Also, Robert's proprietary KING College Football Betting System has posted three of four winning seasons and is 122-92 over the last three years (57.0 percent).

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