Game-By-Game

Hey - Chris Murray did it, so why can't we?

Game 1: Eastern Washington vs. Nevada
This one shouldn't be close, but it probably will be. We tend to play poorly in our first game of the season; thankfully, we're playing Eastern Washington, so it won't matter. Expect things to be uncomfortably close in the first half, followed by our team actually waking up and playing some football in the second half. Score: Nevada 42, E Washington 14

Game 2: Colorado State vs. Nevada
Colorado State isn't very good and we're playing at home, so that should count for something. This game will give us a solid feel for how the rest of the season will go - will we be underachievers, or will we actually beat the teams we're supposed to beat? Keep in mind that Colorado State always plays us close. Score: Nevada 28, Colorado State 21

Game 3: Cal vs. Nevada
If you went to the Texas Tech game a couple of years ago, you'll have a pretty solid understanding of how this game will probably go. Expect a ton of early fireworks, little defense on our side, and a lot of cussing from the south end zone by the end of the third quarter. It'll be entertaining - until it isn't. Score: Cal 35, Nevada 21

Game 4: Nevada @ BYU
Not only do we rarely play BYU well, especially in Provo, but we'll be playing them a week after an emotionally draining game at home. Don't expect much. When we write our customary "Ault seriously needs to go after this travesty" article, be sure to point to this article. Score: BYU 42, Nevada 6

Game 5: Nevada @ UNLV
To quote Blazing Saddles, "We have to protect our phoney baloney jobs here, gentlemen! We must do something about this immediately! Immediately! Immediately! Harrumph! Harrumph! Harrumph!" Ault is admittedly fantastic at using games against UNLV to protect his job, and there doesn't appear to be any sign that this year will go down any differently. Score: Nevada 56, UNLV 21

Game 6: San Jose State vs. Nevada
San Jose State isn't very good and we'll be playing at home after a solid confidence boost against UNLV. This is where we try to set the tone for conference play. Score: Nevada 38, SJSU 17

Game 7: Nevada @ Hawaii
We never play well in Honolulu and Hawaii will probably be better than last year. Considering how we only beat them by 10 last year at home while they were on their third-string quarterback, don't be surprised if this seemingly winnable game runs away from us. Score: Hawaii 24, Nevada 14

Game 8: Utah State vs. Nevada
We have a bye week before this game, we're playing it at home, we'll probably be a little embarrassed about the Hawaii game, and did I mention that Utah State isn't very good? Yeah... Score: Nevada 61, Utah State 7

Game 9: Nevada @ Idaho
We're not going to lose this one, but it'll be much closer than people will be comfortable with. Idaho won't be sneaking up on anyone this year, so don't expect any miracles out of them; having said that, this game will be on the road and the Utah State game will probably convince our team that they're better than they really are. Score: Nevada 35, Idaho 31

Game 10: Nevada @ Fresno State
Fresno State's schedule is much more sane and reasonable this year than usual, which means they might actually be halfway healthy going into this game. This means there will be a pretty good chance that they might actually be in the hunt for the conference championship this year if Pat Hill stops sweating his contract and starts paying attention on the field again. We've played Fresno State exceptionally well over the past couple of years, even in Fresno, which actually worries me a bit. That said, Fresno follows us up with Boise, so, if we're really lucky, we might catch them looking ahead, especially if we stumble a little against Idaho beforehand. Score: Nevada 31, Fresno 28

Game 11: New Mexico State vs. Nevada
Now it's our turn to look ahead a little. Bear in mind that we absolutely throttled them last year and that was in Las Cruces; expect this year to be no different, especially at home. Score: Nevada 56, NMSU 10

Game 12: Boise State vs. Nevada
Ah... now, here's where things get interesting. We're playing them here, which is good. However, if we're not in the hunt for the conference championship going into this game, the crowd will be non-existent, especially with this game happening on Thanksgiving weekend. Meanwhile, Boise State has a realistic shot at the national championship if they can get past Virginia Tech and Oregon State. Assuming both teams are doing as well as they should be going into this game, expect both sides to bring their A game. Also expect Boise State's superior athleticism and their fans' willingness to travel to overcome any home field advantage we might have here. Score: Boise State 42, Nevada 35

Game 13: Nevada @ Louisiana Tech
If Louisiana Tech can figure out how to throw the ball by the time this game rolls around, we might be in trouble. Failing that, this won't be that interesting. Score: Nevada 38, Louisiana Tech 21

Record: 9-4 (8-4 vs. FBS schools, 2-1 out-of-conference)

Honestly, I'd love to see us make that jump to national prominence this year, and I think Kaep and our running game are going to be the best chances we have on that front. However, there are few signs that suggest our defense is improved enough over the past couple of years to pull that off, which means we're just not going to be able to get over the hump against teams like Cal and Boise State. Fortunately, our team did improve last year and played everyone close, so... who knows?