2026 Week 0 Preview: Memphis Tigers @ UNLV Rebels
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Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, August 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET
- Network: FOX
- Location: Allegiant Stadium — Las Vegas, NV
- Spread: UNLV (-5.5)
- Over/under: 56.5
- All-time series: No previous meetings
Setting the scene
The wait is finally over. Week 0 has arrived.
The 2026 Week 0 slate is arguably the most loaded in college football history. It’s an all-day affair of eight FBS vs. FBS matchups, ranging from the TCU-North Carolina opener in Dublin to the Virginia-NC State ACC showdown to a late-night matchup with potential College Football Playoff stakes.
Memphis and UNLV collide for the first time ever in Las Vegas, both in the midst of some of their most successful stretches in program history. The Tigers are 29-10 in the last three seasons, while the Rebels are 30-12. UNLV enters with several advantages including homefield and more continuity from 2025, but Memphis isn’t used to slow starts — opening each of the last three seasons with 3-0 records.
This game result could be pivotal in CFP debates between the American and Mountain West, if those conferences are competing for the same playoff berth come November and December. Thus, neither team can afford to drop this opener. For its own sake and for its conference’s.
Memphis Tigers outlook
The Charles Huff era is underway in Memphis.
The head coach takes the baton from Ryan Silverfield, holding aspirations of not only sustaining Memphis’ streak of 12-straight .500+ seasons, but taking the Tigers back to their first American Championship Game since 2019. Huff succeeded in each of his last two years in the Sun Belt, although success was defined in different ways. In 2024 at Marshall, he led the Thundering Herd to a 10-3 record and dominant Sun Belt Championship victory. In 2025, he took over a Southern Miss program fresh off a 1-11 season and milked seven wins out of a refurbished roster.
Once again, he’s dealing with extreme roster turnover, as 2026 Memphis is almost unreocgnizable from 2025 Memphis. Right guard Parker Mitchell is the only returning starter. Not even many rotational reserves returned. Fourth-leading wide receiver Brady Kluse is the other recognizable piece on offense, while only three of the top 26 tacklers are back — cornerback Chauncey Logan Jr., defensive tackle Taylor Burton, and inside linebacker Donovan Mathena, who finished 16th, 17th, and 18th, respectively in tackles.
Just like Huff brought significant Southern Miss influence to Marshall, he’s bringing Southern Miss influence to Memphis. The Tigers took four assistant coaches and 17 players, who logged 68 combined starts in 2025, from Huff’s prior stop.
Most of the defense’s top players hail from Southern Miss, including defensive end J’Mond Tapp (70 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks), inside linebacker Michael Montgomery (105 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks), and free safety Ian Foster (72 tackles, 3 interceptions, 7 pass breakups). Other Southern Miss additions certain to be in the rotation include cornerback Anthony Richard Jr., safeties Dylan King and Ahmere Foster, and defensive linemen Jabari Ishmael and Jaden McKinney. Having a slew of former Southern Miss defensive backs could pay dividends, as the Golden Eagles recorded 23 interceptions yet only allowed 13 passing touchdowns in 2025.
The offense features fewer former Golden Eagles, although Tychaun Chapman could assume WR1 duties after a 449-yard season where he averaged 17.9 per catch and running back Jaylin Carter should be in the backfield rotation. The unit’s No. 1 question: who’s playing quarterback? Memphis’ quarterback battle features Division II transfer Marcus Stokes and former four-star recruit Air Noland. Stokes accrued vast experience at West Florida, and his 3,297 passing yards and 30 touchdowns last year made him a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II Heisman equivalent). Meanwhile, Noland sat behind Will Howard in one season at Ohio State and LaNorris Sellers in another at South Carolina. Through three collegiate passes thrown, he has yet to play a meaningful down, but the potential remains intriguing.
Another former Buckeye arriving to the offense is Dallan Hayden, who is expected to take over as the lead tailback. The fifth-year senior produced 1,185 rushing yards in two years at Ohio State and two at Colorado, earning starts on the College Football Playoff stage as far back as 2022. He’ll be joined by Carter and Cincinnati transfer Manny Covey, hoping to sustain Memphis’ impressive running back lineage. Outside of Chapman and Kluse, the top weapons in the receiving game include Colorado transfer Terrell Timmons and former Middle Tennessee tight end Hunter Tipton. Rounding out the offense is a line which added four full-time starters from 2025 — Maarten Woudsma and Skyler Grant from Old Dominion (who followed offensive coordinator Kevin Decker), Riley McGehee from Arkansas State, and Aaron Karas from Colorado State.
UNLV Rebels outlook
It’s time for UNLV to make the leap.
From 2001-22, the Rebels produced one winning season — a 7-6 finish in 2013. Now, the program is a fixture on conference championship weekend. UNLV has been the Mountain West runner-up in three-straight seasons, and the Rebels can finally avoid their tormentor Boise State as the Broncos relocated to the Pac-12 this offseason. Thus, it’s time for Dan Mullen and the Rebels to prove they run the new-look Mountain West.
Mullen worked the transfer portal exceptionally well in his debut 2025 season. He eked 10 wins out of a team whose Week 0 starting lineup consisted of 17 newcomers. With a returning head coach and coordinators, UNLV retained more of its roster this offseason, but the team could still start around eight to ten transfers. The transfer garnering the most attention is quarterback Jackson Arnold, who aims for a redemptive third act after stints at Oklahoma and Auburn. The former five-star recruit delivered 22 touchdowns to eight interceptions at his prior SEC stop and occasionally thrived with his legs, and he’ll focus on improving his pocket presence in Las Vegas after taking 30 sacks in 10 games last year.
Arnold may not be the only quarterback seeing snaps in Week 0. Mullen hinted both Arnold and Orji will play. Last year, the head coach actually started two quarterbacks in Week 0 — using a trick play where Orji handed the ball off to Anthony Colandrea on the opening snap. Orji wasn’t utilized often beyond that game, as the mobile quarterback suffered a season-ending LCL sprain and hamstring injury two weeks later.
Both quarterbacks can run, but UNLV should have no problem moving the sticks on the ground with Jai’den Thomas. The two-time All-Mountain West selection was among college football’s most explosive players in 2025. Among 1,000-yard rushers, he finished second in yards per carry at 7.0, and UNLV ranked sixth nationally in 10+ yard rushes and seven in 20+ yard rushes. When he needs a break, Jaylon Glover can seamlessly take over after producing a 6.0 rushing average in a 384-yard season.
The wide receiving corps loses its top four producers but reloads with transfers Amorion Walker (Middle Tennessee), Taz Reddicks (Oregon State), and Troy Stellato (Kentucky). Combined with incumbents Taeshaun Lyons and DeAngelo Irvin Jr., UNLV will look for one of the five to emerge as true No. 1 — a role held by Jaden Bradley last year. The offensive line will also rely on newcomers, as three transfers are expected to surround returning starting center Austin Boyd and left tackle Will Thomas.
UNLV finished top 20 in total offense and scoring offense a year ago, but the same story didn’t translate to the defense. The Rebels surrendered 419 yards to rank 117th in the country, finishing below 100th in defending both the run and pass. Starters return at all three levels, including strong safety Jake Pope who finished second on the team with 81 tackles. Despite allowing heavy yardage, the Pope-led secondary still recorded stops as a frequent takeaway generator. UNLV tied for 14th in the country with 24 takeaways, and one of its top ballhawks could be back. Cornerback Laterrance Welch, who intercepted a team-high five passes, has returned to the secondary after the Wisne v. NCAA ruling granted a fifth-year of eligibility to class of 2022 high school graduates.
Even with ballhawks like Welch, finding a more sustainable way to record stops is a must. UNLV’s biggest question mark entering the season is the linebacking corps which loses do-it-all star Marsel McDuffie. Taking his place is Holy Cross transfer Cam Santee, a First Team All-Patriot League selection who racked up 110 tackles and 14 tackles for loss as one of the top linebackers in the FCS.
Prediction
Week 0 and Week 1 predictions are always difficult without any data points, especially in the transfer portal era. But the makeup of this Memphis team makes predictions particularly challenging, considering the Tigers are a collection of transfers from all sorts of destinations — with Southern Miss and the Sun Belt Conference being the most prevalent sources.
UNLV’s offense possesses significantly more FBS experience at quarterback with Jackson Arnold and Alex Orji, and the Rebels have the best player on the field in Jai’den Thomas. Memphis’ key to victory is to stifle the dynamic rushing attack on early downs and force the Rebels into frequent passing situations. The Tigers may not be equipped to outlast UNLV in a shootout, and a low-scoring, defensive-driven slugfest should favor Charles Huff and Co.
In the end, Thomas enjoys a stellar 2026 debut and the Rebels’ secondary gets the best of a new-look Memphis offense. UNLV defends homefield and significantly amplifies its CFP résumé in the process.
Prediction: UNLV 34, Memphis 21
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