13 chances: Breaking down Pack’s 2024 football schedule

Nevada certainly isn’t taking the easy way out in its first season under new football coach Jeff Choate.

The Wolf Pack will open on its earliest date ever, play 13 regular-season games, face 10 bowl teams from last season and play against each of the top five finishers in the Mountain West’s preseason poll.

And all of that comes on the heels of two straight 2-10 finishes under since-fired coach Ken Wilson.

The road does not look like an easy one for the Wolf Pack, who entered fall camp with major question marks at running back and wide receiver — and, of course, a coaching staff made up almost entirely of newcomers.

Can Nevada improve to at least three wins? Can enough wins be found to get back to .500 and bowl eligibility? Is a win over UNLV possible, or has the balance of the Silver State’ rivalry shifted to the south?

Here’s a look at Nevada’s 2024 schedule, including each opponent’s Football Power Index (FPI) as rated by ESPN, along with a projected level of difficulty on a 1-5 scale. The Wolf Pack’s preseason FPI rank is 120^th of the 134 teams playing FBS football this season.

AUG. 24: VS. SMU

In more than 100 years of football, Nevada has never begun a season as early as it will this year. And this is no FBS bottom-feeder or FCS victim. SMU — now part of the 17-member ACC — is coming off an 11-3 season and returns 14 starters.

Mustangs’ FPI rank: 25 (of 134 teams)

Difficulty: 4/5

AUG. 31: AT TROY

The Wolf Pack’s first road trip comes against a conference champion. The Trojans finished 11-3 last year, including a win over Appalachian State in the Sun Belt championship game. This game will be Troy’s opener, which could play a bit in Nevada’s favor.

Trojans’ FPI: 75

Difficulty: 3/5

SEPT. 7: VS. GA. SOUTHERN

The Wolf Pack and the Eagles met in a pair of entertaining FCS playoffs games in a prior era, with GSU winning both.

Eagles’ FPI: 96

Difficulty: 2/5

SEPT. 14: AT MINNESOTA

Pack schedules have largely followed a formula in recent seasons, with eight conference games, one FCS game at home, two winnable non-conference games, and one road trip to a Power 4 venue. For 2024, the big-time opponent is Minnesota, which hasn’t exactly dominated the Big Ten, but has won 50 of 84 games under coach P.J. Fleck.

Gophers’ FPI: 61

Difficulty: 4/5

SEPT. 21: VS. E. WASHINGTON

If there’s one team not in a position to chalk up an FCS opponent as an easy win, it’s Nevada. The visiting Eagles — out of the hyper-competitive Big Sky — will be no pushover, having reached the FCS playoffs four times since 2016.

Eagles’ FPI: n/a

Difficulty: 2/5

OCT. 5: AT SAN JOSE STATE

Like Nevada, SJSU decided to turn things over to a new staff this fall. New man Ken Niumatalolo can certainly coach football, but he’s a bit of a curious fit for the Spartans, as his Navy teams were triple-option devotees for many years. This might be the ideal situation for the Pack to get off to a 1-0 start in MW play.

Spartans’ FPI: 81

Difficulty: 2/5

OCT. 12: VS. OREGON STATE

It’s a Mountain West game … sort of. The game will count in the MW standings for Nevada, but not for Oregon State, which has a scheduling agreement with the conference but is not eligible for any MW honors. The Beavers’ most recent trip to Mackay Stadium came down to a missed field goal in a 37-35 Pack win.

Beavers’ FPI: 38

Difficulty: 4/5

OCT. 18: VS. FRESNO STATE

Nevada’s one non-Saturday game will be a Friday night meeting with longtime rival Fresno State at Mackay Stadium. The Bulldogs, a trendy pick to unseat either Boise State or UNLV for a spot in the title game, enjoyed a renaissance in coach Jeff Tedford’s second tenure — going 19-8 with two bowl wins — but Tedford surprisingly turned in his resignation last month.

Bulldogs’ FPI: 74

Difficulty: 3/5

OCT. 26: AT HAWAII

This is a series dominated by the home teams, which means Nevada needs to do more than just spout the usual “business trip” sound bites. The Pack is 5-10 when playing on the island, but it’s not like winning the 2024 game is an impossible ask. The Warriors have yet to turn the corner under former QB (and ex-Nevada assistant) Timmy Chang.

Warriors’ FPI: 112

Difficulty: 1/5

NOV. 2: VS. COLORADO STATE

Norvell Bowl III will be sure to sell a few extra tickets and generate some extra column inches, but at some point, Nevada’s bigger worry needs to be re-establishing itself as the superior program. The Pack’s success this time around will depend largely upon covering receiver Tory Horton and rushing quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, both of whom (surprise!) were once part of Nevada’s program.

Rams’ FPI: 105

Difficulty: 2/5

NOV. 9: AT BOISE STATE

The Broncos are back on the schedule and the 2024 game is on the road — none of this is great news for Nevada. The Wolf Pack’s 41-31 win in 2021 came with Carson Strong leading a solid Pack team; other than that, Boise State has won 17 of the last 19 meetings. Jeff Choate was a Broncos’ assistant for six seasons, so at least no one will get lost on the way to the stadium.

Broncos’ FPI: 48

Difficulty: 5/5

NOV. 23: VS. AIR FORCE

Well, it’s not like anyone will be fooled by what’s coming. The Falcons will run, then run, then run some more. The problem for opposing defenses is that Air Force does what it does — create open space with the triple-option — very well. At least the game is in Reno, along with being the final home game of the season.

Falcons’ FPI: 87

Difficulty: 3/5

NOV. 30: AT UNLV

The 2024 season will tell us a lot more about what’s looking like an identity swap between the Nevada and UNLV football programs. Last season brought about a Rebels team with talent, swagger, and fearlessness, while it was the Wolf Pack that looked to be outmanned, tentative, and operating with a talent deficit. The game itself will need no extra hype — it’s the 50^th meeting between the state’s only two Division I universities.

Rebels’ FPI: 86

Difficulty: 3/5