Why is UNLV-Syracuse at Allegiant Stadium? Rebels play home games at Raiders' home field

UNLV football has been one of the early surprising teams in college football this season, as the Rebels are undefeated at 4-0 through the first five weeks.

Entering Week 6, the Rebels finds themselves ranked No. 23 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, and one of several Group of Five programs in contention for an automatic bid to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Barry Odom's squad also has an opportunity to pick up its third Power Four win of the season as the Rebels welcome Fran Brown and Syracuse on Friday for a 9 p.m. ET kickoff inside Allegiant Stadium.

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With that, here's what to know as to why UNLV plays at Allegiant Stadium:

Where does UNLV football play its home games?

• Stadium: Allegiant Stadium

• Location: Las Vegas

UNLV football plays its home games at Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders and host site of Super Bowl 58 between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Allegiant Stadium, which opened on July 31, 2020, is located 3.2 miles away from UNLV's campus in Paradise, Nevada, and has a seating capacity of 65,000 for sporting events.

When did UNLV football start playing at Allegiant Stadium?

The Rebels played their first game inside Allegiant Stadium during the 2020 COVID-19 season on Saturday, Oct. 31 against Mountain West rival Nevada. Since then, UNLV has played each of its home games — along with the 2023 Mountain West championship game — at Allegiant Stadium.

As noted by The Nevada Independent, UNLV averaged 23,660 fans over its six games at Allegiant Stadium last year. This marked the highest figure in the three years that the Rebels have played at Allegiant Stadium.

Where did UNLV football play at prior to Allegiant Stadium?

Prior to playing at Allegiant Stadium, the Rebels played on campus at Sam Boyd Stadium. UNLV played its first home game inside Sam Boyd Stadium on Oct. 23, 1971 against Weber State.

As noted by KLAS 8 News Now, a local CBS affiliate in Nevada, in August, UNLV is expected to come to an agreement to sell the stadium and the surrounding land to Clark County within the next six months for $5 million.

How much does UNLV pay to play at Allegiant Stadium?

As noted by the Sports Business Journal, UNLV paid roughly $2.2 million for its six home games — vs. Idaho State, North Texas, New Mexico, Air Force, Fresno State and Nevada — at Allegiant Stadium during the 2022 college football season.

How many college football teams play in NFL stadiums?

The Rebels are one of a handful of FBS teams who play their home schedule inside an NFL stadium, with the others being Temple, Miami, South Florida and Pitt.

Here's a full list of FBS teams that play home games at NFL stadiums:

NFL team in parentheses

• Temple: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles)

• Miami: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins)

• South Florida: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

• Pitt: Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)

• UNLV: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas Raiders)

Note: This list does not include Kansas playing four Big 12 games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, this season due to renovations to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

UNLV football 2024 schedule

Here's a look at the Rebels' schedule for 2024, including available start times and TV channel information:

All times Eastern

• Aug. 31: at Houston (W, 27-7)

• Sept. 7: vs Utah Tech (W, 72-14)

• Sept. 13: at Kansas (W, 23-20)

• Sept. 21: BYE

• Sept. 28: vs Fresno State * (W, 59-14)

• Oct. 4: vs Syracuse | 9 p.m. | Fox Sports 1 (Fubo)

• Oct. 11: at Utah State * | 9 p.m. | CBSSN (Fubo)

• Oct. 19: at Oregon State | The CW Network (Fubo)

• Oct. 25: vs Boise State * | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN (Fubo)

• Nov. 2: BYE

• Nov. 9: at Hawaii * | 9 p.m. | CBSSN (Fubo)

• Nov. 16: vs San Diego State * | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN (Fubo)

• Nov. 22: at San Jose State * | 10 p.m. | CBSSN (Fubo)

• Nov. 30: vs Nevada * | 8 p.m. | CBSSN (Fubo)

• Record: 4-0, 1-0 in Mountain West play

* Denotes Mountain West game

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why does UNLV football play home games at Allegiant Stadium?