UNLV Wins 7th Game, Will Go To A Bowl

Even though they played before a very pathetic audience, less than 20,000 people, the UNLV Running Rebels defeated San Diego State 45-19.
From the LVRJ: If UNLV ever was going to make a statement to the various bowl committees, Saturday was the time to do it.
And did the Rebels ever speak so loudly with their actions.
They dominated the Mountain West’s hottest football team, with quarterback Caleb Herring and wide receiver Devante Davis tying school touchdown records and the Rebels rolling through San Diego State 45-19 at Sam Boyd Stadium.
But will this performance be enough to impress the bowls? UNLV will have a long week to wait before finding out Dec. 8.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Rebels interim athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy said before the game. “We started calling (Friday).”
The Rebels’ quest was to play in their first bowl since 2000 was complicated by San Jose State’s 62-52 upset victory over Fresno State on Friday and Colorado State’s 58-13 rout of Air Force on Saturday. Those victories gave the Mountain West seven eligible teams for six bowl slots.
So the Rebels (7-5, 5-3 MW) could get left out of the mix, but their chances improve if the conference can find a place for Boise State — the Mountain West’s marquee national name — in a non-affiliated bowl.
Otherwise, UNLV must hope to land in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 in Honolulu, the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 21 in Albuquerque, or the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 21 in Boise.
Working against the Rebels is their lack of ability to draw strong crowds and their lack of tradition.   http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/rebels-blow-out-san-diego-state-statement-win
One hopes that the Rebels will get a bowl bid, but when you only draw 20,000 or fewer fans on Senior night, the last home game of the season and the stadium looked deserted at the beginning of the 4th quarter, does UNLV deserve a bowl bid?  The football team does, the college and it's fans do not.