RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada will play host to Arizona and UCLA at Mackay Stadium as part of multi-game deal with each school, athletics director Cary Groth announced today.
"We are absolutely committed to bringing national-caliber competition to Mackay Stadium and these games once again reflect that commitment," Groth said. "Our fans deserve the opportunity to watch our program match up with top-notch non-conference opponents and that is exactly what our scheduling philosophy is delivering."
Nevada will start a three-game series with UCLA in 2013 and the Wolf Pack will play a "home-and-home" series with the Arizona Wildcats beginning in 2014.
"These games make a lot of sense for us because they are West Coast schools in areas of particular importance for recruiting," Nevada coach Chris Ault said. "In addition they are attractive travel destinations for our fans."
In the series with UCLA, Nevada will travel to face the Bruins on Aug. 31, 2013 and again Sept. 19, 2015. The Bruins will come to Mackay Stadium on Sept. 17, 2016.
The series with Arizona will begin Sept. 13, 2014 in Tucson, Ariz., and will conclude on Sept. 12, 2015 when the Wildcats come to Reno.
"The benefit of these series is twofold," said Nevada senior associate athletic director Rory Hickok, who oversees football scheduling. "First, we are able to continue our philosophy of bringing high-level opponents to Mackay Stadium. Moreover, we've been able to do that with a pair of BCS schools on the West Coast and the road games are easier trips for our fan base to make.
"I'm optimistic that we will be able to pursue further scheduling avenues along these lines."
Nevada and UCLA have never played each other in football. Nevada holds a 1-1-1 record all-time against Arizona but the teams have not played since 1941.
The Wolf Pack's future schedules can be found at www.nevadawolfpack.com
