Seven months after the confetti fell on national champion Alabama, a new college football season is nearly here. As part of Sports Illustrated's 2021 preview content, we're rolling out scouting reports for all of SI's preseason top 25 teams, featuring all the names, storylines and big games you need to know. Starting with No. 25 Nevada and running through No. 1 Alabama, we'll be featuring five teams per day from Monday through Friday.
The Big Story: Nevada
Nevada enjoyed something of a breakthrough in Jay Norvell’s fourth season in 2020, turning in the best conference record (6–2) of Norvell’s tenure and beating Tulane in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.