September to be tough month on Rebels’ schedule

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001 | 10:30 a.m.

Sept. 1 -- at Arkansas

Sept. 7 -- NORTHWESTERN

Sept. 14 -- COLORADO STATE*

Sept. 22 -- at Arizona

Sept. 29 -- BYU*

Oct. 6 -- at Nevada-Reno

Oct. 13 -- SAN DIEGO STATE*

Oct. 27 -- at Wyoming*

Nov. 3 -- UTAH*

Nov. 10 -- at New Mexico*

Nov. 17 -- at Air Force*

*Mountain West Conference game

Now John Robinson knows how LaVell Edwards felt.

One year after the Mountain West Conference sent Edwards into retirement with an early schedule that could best be described as "brutal," the powers-that-be in Colorado Springs piled it on in September for Robinson's Rebels in 2001.

In fact, UNLV's motto for next season should be, "Survive September."

"I think the schedule is loaded with difficulty at the top," Robinson admitted after looking over the schedule which was finally released on Wednesday by the Mountain West Conference.

Within a span of 29 days starting on Sept. 1, the Rebels will travel to Little Rock for a rematch of their Las Vegas Bowl matchup with Arkansas, return home for back-to-back Friday night ESPN games against Big Ten co-champion Northwestern and defending MWC champion Colorado State, travel to Pac-10 heavyweight Arizona and then host perennial conference power BYU.

"I'm concerned in that it's much like BYU's was last season," Robinson said of the Cougars, who failed to even qualify for a bowl bid in Edwards' swan song in part because of a rocky start that included early games against Florida State, Virginia, Air Force, Mississippi State and Syracuse. "BYU didn't get off to a good start and their season kind of collapsed on them because of that. This looks like a similiar type of schedule at the front end."

The final part of the schedule is no picnic, either.

Three of the final four games are on the road in places where snow and cold weather are common -- Wyoming, New Mexico and Air Force.

Robinson seemed less concerned about the bad weather than opening the season with two tough games just six days apart against Arkansas and well-rested Northwestern, which will be making its 2001 debut against the Rebels.

Originally, the MWC tried to move the Northwestern game to Thursday night which would have given the Rebels just a five-day turnaround after their long trip to Little Rock. But Robinson balked and the game was moved to Friday night.

"The people who make the schedule aren't interested in the competitive things," Robinson said. "They're more interested in the best opportunity for getting a game on TV.

"There's nothing we can do about it now. It's just something we need to be aware of in the future."

Robinson said there were positives about the schedule.

"It's a good TV schedule and a good home schedule," he said. "And if you can get off to a good start early, it's great."

That's a mighty big "if."

Just ask LaVell Edwards.