Rising Rebels get respect

You know college football season is near when UNLV players are again asked to explain how they feel about being picked last in the Mountain West Conference.

That's most seasons, anyway. This time was different.

The Rebels not only were not picked at the bottom of the nine-team league, they were voted in the middle at fifth.

They haven't been picked that high since tying Brigham Young for fifth in 2004. Since then, UNLV was picked last three times and eighth once.

"It's good to have some good things said about our program," UNLV senior wide receiver Ryan Wolfe said Tuesday at conference media days at Green Valley Ranch.

"But at the same time, in no way, shape or form are we satisfied with fifth place. The goals of this team are to be much better than that."

Texas Christian, which went 11-2 last season and finished No. 7 in The Associated Press poll, was picked to win the conference. The Horned Frogs, second in the MWC last year, received 15 first-place votes.

"What matters is what happens in December," TCU junior quarterback Andy Dalton said. "That preseason ranking is the potential. We want to prove it right."

TCU dominated the major preseason player-of-the-year awards, with senior lineman Jerry Hughes for defense, junior Jeremy Kerley for special teams and running back Ed Wesley for freshman.

BYU, which received six first-place votes, was picked second. The Cougars went 10-3 last season.

Senior quarterback Max Hall was chosen the conference's top offensive player.

Defending Mountain West champion Utah received the three remaining first-place votes. The Utes finished 13-0 and No. 2 in the rankings last season after dominating Alabama in a 31-17 Sugar Bowl upset, but they lost some key players, including quarterback Brian Johnson.

UNLV is coming off its best season since going 6-6 in 2003. They went 5-7 in 2008, ending a four-year stretch of two-victory seasons.

The Rebels placed two players on the preseason all-conference team -- Wolfe and senior linebacker Jason Beauchamp.

"It feels like this year the stage is set," Beauchamp said. "It feels like everything is in place more so this year than in the past."

Even though there is more optimism, coach Mike Sanford and the players also know there is work to be done.

Beauchamp emphasized the importance of staying healthy, and Sanford talked about finishing. UNLV lost players such as quarterback Omar Clayton and linebacker Starr Fuimaono to injuries last season, and it lost three consecutive games despite leading in the fourth quarter.

Then there was the season-ending 42-21 loss at San Diego State that eliminated any chance for a bowl bid, a loss that hit hard that November night and serves as motivation for this season.

"I still have a bad feeling in my stomach," Sanford said, "and I know our players do, too."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.