LAS VEGAS — In a town built on the proposition that fortunes and lives can change with one pull of the handle, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas is hoping for that kind of a night tomorrow.

Frankly, it needs that to happen.

After two years of patiently rebuilding and too many seasons of waiting for its football luck to change, the Rebels look at the University of Hawai'i tomorrow as their version of megabucks, the opportunity to change everything.

Indeed, a victory over the nationally-ranked Warriors would be a dream come true for the Rebels, whose reality has heretofore mostly been filled with disappointment and frustration.

They have won just two games each of the three previous seasons — going 6-28 in the process — and haven't had a winning finish in six years. Only one measly winning year in 12 years overall to show for three head coaching regimes and so much investment.

Their home field, Sam Boyd Stadium, has been the only place in Las Vegas where the house hasn't won on a regular basis. Meanwhile, their instate rivals to the north, Nevada, have a run of three consecutive bowl games further underlining the Rebels' plight.

The feeling here has been that Mike Sanford, who replaced John Robinson for 2005, is doing things right and positioning the Rebels to change that. The expectation is that he has things headed in the right direction and a breakthrough will come this season. Perhaps not in the form of a winning season but with a victory — or four — that will show a turnaround is under way. For a team picked to finish last in the Mountain West Conference, such a positive sign is a necessity this year.

And the Rebels have put a lot into trying to make it happen. Sanford said they spent part of the spring and then part of fall camp readying themselves in particular for the first three games on the schedule: Utah State, Wisconsin and UH.

For the first time in their 40-year history, they were booked against back-to-back, nationally-ranked teams. And at home, to boot. Go 2-1 in that stretch heading into the conference season and it would be as much as Rebel fans have had to crow about in ages. It would match a whole season's worth of wins and be the surest sign yet that progress is being made and winning is on the horizon.

Now, taking down Utah State, while something of a (23-16) struggle, wasn't unforeseen. What nearly happened against No. 5-ranked Wisconsin, whom they led into the final three minutes, was. But what would have been the biggest victory in school history evaporated when the Badgers rallied for a 20-13 win.

So, now comes UH at No. 22 looking vulnerable after the 45-44 overtime escape at Louisiana Tech. Still, a considerable challenge, Sanford says but embracing the 17-point underdog role as an opportunity his team needs to capitalize on more than ever.

Playing good into the late stages of a game is no longer enough for the Rebels. They understand and accept they need to start winning some. They know that few games left on their schedule have the jackpot potential of tomorrow night.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.