LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — New coach Barry Odom and his UNLV football team have a tough early season back-to-back assignment come September: Playing Michigan in “The Big House” then hosting Vanderbilt the next week at Allegiant Stadium.
Those are two highlights of the Rebels’ schedule announced Thursday.
Michigan has made the College Football Playoff the past two seasons, and “The Big House” in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the largest stadium in the United States with a seating capacity of 107,601.
The Rebels visit the Wolverines on Sept. 9 then return home to meet Vanderbilt, which is rebuilding under coach Clark Lea but is a member of arguably the nation’s toughest conference, the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt was 5-7 overall last season.
The Rebels face intrastate rival Nevada-Reno on Oct. 14 at Mackay Stadium in Reno for their annual clash for the Fremont Cannon. UNLV won the game last year, bringing the cannon back to Las Vegas.
Odom this week completed hires for his coaching staff, including adding former UNLV standout Hunkie Cooper as the program’s first director of football player development. Cooper, who left San Diego State where he coached wide receivers to join UNLV, played multiple positions for the Rebels in the 1990 and 1991 seasons and was twice a first-team All-Mountain West selection as a return man.