Editor’s note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

UNLV plays Wyoming on Saturday with a chance to become bowl eligible.

Sure, the season hasn’t gone according to script. We thought the Rebels could run the table and contend for an at-large spot in the College Football Playoff.

We certainly didn’t have them losing by 38 points at North Texas or needing to hold off winless Northern Illinois last Saturday in front of a sparse crowd. The fan base — me included — was off doing Halloween activities with our kids.

But entering the final third of the season, the Rebels still have plenty to play for. They have four chances to become bowl eligible, a rivalry game against UNR and they control their own destiny in the race for the Mountain West championship.

It hasn’t been pretty, but UNLV is 3-1 in league play as it chases a fourth consecutive appearance in the conference title game.

Allow me to be a hypocrite for a few paragraphs.

At the start of the season, I argued that UNLV had outgrown the simple goals of qualifying for a bowl or competing for a league title. This team, I wrote, was positioned to do more, and anything less would be a disappointment.

So, yes, it’s perfectly reasonable to feel like the Rebels are playing for a consolation prize the rest of the way.

But let’s focus on reality.

Season after season, until the program moved into Allegiant Stadium in 2020, the goal was a bowl game. The Rebels reached one just four times: the 1984 California Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl in 1994 and 2000, and the Heart of Dallas Bowl after the 2013 season.

A win against Wyoming, at New Mexico, at San Jose State or in the finale against UNR would send UNLV to its fourth bowl game in four years. By UNLV football standards, these are the glory years.

That makes the lethargic effort against Northern Illinois unacceptable. The Rebels trailed in the first half, managed just seven points after halftime and nearly surrendered 500 yards before escaping with the win.

Coach Dan Mullen wasn’t pleased. Neither were you, the program’s supporters.

“I don’t know if we played real hard. And that’s really disappointing,” Mullen said after the game.

Mullen and the Rebels have a few days to fix it.

If UNLV defeats its next two opponents, Wyoming at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Allegiant Stadium and New Mexico on Nov. 14 in Albuquerque, N.M., the Rebels would reach the championship game. Wyoming is 4-1 in league play. New Mexico is undefeated in conference games and ranked No. 22. Let’s be honest: How many teams can say at this point in the season that they still have something to play for, let alone a league title?

Remember, UNLV has never won a Mountain West football championship.

Mullen could well be a candidate for major-conference job openings: North Carolina State, Maryland, Florida State and whatever else shakes loose this month. Some locals, at least judging by my X feed, wouldn’t be upset to see him go.

That’s crazy.

Even while underperforming, this team has a winning record, will play for a bowl berth and has a strong shot at playing for a league title. That’s exactly why Mullen’s name keeps coming up for other jobs.

More importantly, in an era of heavy roster turnover every offseason because of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, Mullen is a perfect fit because he’s a strong recruiter. And there’s no debating his ability to develop quarterbacks. Alex Smith at Utah, Tim Tebow at Florida, Dak Prescott at Mississippi State and Anthony Colandrea at UNLV are each multimillionaires thanks in part to Mullen’s coaching.

Don’t let the frustration of one flat effort against a poor opponent muddy what should be a great month of UNLV football. The Rebels were favored by more than three touchdowns and played down to the competition.

They’ll be ready for Wyoming. The same goes for New Mexico, in what could be a season-defining game.

It’s perfectly fine to adjust your expectations, especially when you’re cheering for a program that went from two-win seasons to 10-win campaigns and is on the verge of a fourth bowl appearance in a row. It’s also perfectly fine to be critical of Mullen and his team.

That criticism is refreshing.

By this point in the season, many supporters have traditionally shifted their attention to grumbling about how Rebel basketball is failing to reach the standard set in the 1980s and ’90s under Jerry Tarkanian.