Matthew Sluka brought attention to UNLV, but the Rebels, still alive for the CFP, are keeping it

While watching UNLV’s thrilling overtime loss to Syracuse on Friday night, it was hard not to think of Matthew Sluka. 

Was he watching the game? Was he reading the comments on social media? Was he miserable? Was he rooting for his former teammates to be successful? A combination of all of those emotions? 

This isn’t to pour it on after what has had to have been a rough time for the former UNLV quarterback. But had he not opted out of this season a few weeks ago as a result of an NIL dispute with the program, it’s hard to imagine these Rebels would be one of America’s Sweethearts. A fun story, sure. But this? 

For a while Friday night, it looked like UNLV was going to win. But when the game went to overtime, an unfortunate targeting penalty set up Syracuse for the game-winning touchdown. 

Here’s the good news: UNLV is still very much alive in the College Football Playoff race. While a win over Syracuse would have propelled UNLV to the center of Playoff discourse, the Rebels still could play their way back into the discussion with a win over Boise State in Las Vegas on Oct. 25. 

The Sluka drama brought us to pay attention to UNLV. He has been painted the villain, the player who left a team with legitimate College Football Playoff hopes in the middle of the season for perceived selfish reasons. But is he the villain? On3 learned Sluka was promised something and it wasn’t put in writing or delivered. Is that his fault or is he just a young man caught in the crossfire of a bad business deal between a bunch of people — on both sides — who didn’t really know what they were doing? 

Someone at UNLV promised something Sluka didn’t get. Sluka attempted to use the leverage he thought he had — not playing — and it backfired. If you knew you weren’t destined to make millions in the NFL, would you have done the same thing? I would have.

Because of that, it’s easy to feel sympathetic toward Sluka. I do. 

 The problem is, he didn’t have the leverage he thought he did. Maybe that’s his fault (he should have seen he wasn’t the best quarterback on the roster). Maybe it’s his agent’s fault (who doesn’t get an agreement worth $100,000 in writing?). Maybe it’s everyone’s fault.

Regardless, UNLV is still one of the most interesting stories in college football. The Rebels are 4-1, have two wins over Power 4 opponents and the quarterback who replaced Sluka — Hajj-Malik Williams — is electric. 

So the top half of this story is probably the last you’re going to read about Sluka. Even though it’s an interesting paradox of how UNLV nestled its way into many of our hearts, the story is now about what these pesky Rebels can accomplish moving forward.

Boy, that’s a riveting story. 

And, man, that Syracuse game was riveting. 

It had it all. Multiple double-digit deficits erased. Blocked punts for scores. Red zone turnovers. Back-and-forth lead changes. A go-ahead touchdown with three minutes left. A game-tying touchdown with less than 30 seconds left. Overtime. It was college football at its finest.

The best part? Stars were born.

We’re all talking about Williams because that’s what we do with quarterbacks. We’ll get to him because he has unquestionably been better than Sluka in his two starts. He’s been so good, in fact, that one has to wonder how Sluka even won the starting job to begin with. He’s big, runs powerfully and throws darts. 

But receiver Ricky White III — who could have left UNLV in the offseason for an array of big-time programs — returned to the Rebels because he believed in Barry Odom’s vision. And in Vegas — one of the best entertainment cities in the world — White keeps putting on a show. 

Not only did he haul in 10 catches for 135 yards and that go-ahead touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter, he also had a game-turning punt block that bounced 40 yards into the end zone before the Rebels fell on it for a score. He could have had another block in the first half, but Syracuse’s punter pulled the ball instead and got tackled, which set up another UNLV score. Oh, and White blocked a punt in UNLV’s blowout win over Fresno State two weeks ago. If you put White on a Heisman Trophy watch list, he belongs there.

Now to Williams, who probably should be the recipient of a $100,000 check from the CEO of Circa, who offered to get that money to Sluka after the NIL disaster struck. Is that money still good? Maybe this is hyperbolic — I have a tendency to do that from time to time — but is this kid an NFL talent? White said after the Fresno State game the donation from Circa should probably go to the Rebels’ offensive line, but I’m probably cutting that check Williams and White.

They are stars. And they play for UNLV. 

And in this new 12-team College Football Playoff system — where the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion goes to the dance — this Rebels team is nationally relevant, even after a loss. It still has to take care of business in the Mountain West, which could mean two games against Boise State, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a team more entertaining to watch. 

The Broncos are backed by running back Ashton Jeanty, who is on pace for the single-greatest season for a running back this sport has ever seen. They have to be considered the favorite to win the Mountain West at this point. 

But don’t sleep on this UNLV team. It is really good, and the new setup of this sport affords us the opportunity to not fall asleep on teams after a heartbreaking loses.

The Rebels may fall into the background for some people. But for many of us? We’re going to be watching them. We’re going to be talking about them. 

Sluka’s situation brought a lot of attention to UNLV. 

This team, even in the face of defeat, will keep us along for the ride. 

See you in three Friday nights.