Lobos’ road to bowl rides on game in Laramie
It doesn’t take much to see the end of the road for the UNM football team.
Take a peek. See it right there? That’s where it all stops, next week in Laramie, Wyo.
Or maybe it’s two weeks from now in College Station, Texas. Or two weeks after that in San Diego.
While the schedule has the Lobos playing into Thanksgiving weekend, it all comes to a screeching halt without a win next weekend at Wyoming.
In many ways it’s the last, best shot they have of making a third straight bowl game.
Straddled with a 3-4 record following Friday’s home loss to Colorado State, UNM needs to win at least three of its final five games to reach the minimum sixwin plateau for a bowl bid.
Sounds easy enough. They’ll be favored in home games against Utah State and UNLV in November. Where it gets tricky is a road slate that features three brutal challenges that make getting that sixth win less than likely.
Lose in Laramie, and it’s safe for Lobo fans to start processing the start of basketball without the distraction of Bob Davie’s team asking for attention. After that are roadies to Texas A&M on Nov. 11 and San Diego State in the season finale Nov. 24.
A&M is from this little-known league called the Southeastern Conference, a place where national championships are won and lost. The Aggies are 5-2 after knocking off Florida on Saturday and should be cracking the both Top 25 polls on Monday morning.
Their game against the Lobos will be largely an afterthought, a tuneup to a potential seven-figure payday in a New Year’s bowl. Even so, there’s not a UNM fan out there who can realistically expect a win there.
San Diego State is, well, SDSU. The Aztecs were in the national rankings until losing at home last week against Boise State, but they’re still the bell cow in a Mountain West race that has left UNM in the dust.
When asked about the chances of a bowl bid after Friday’s game, Davie said he’s trying to keep his players focused on achieving something that seems, for now, out of reach.
“It’s not really the time to be philosophical or look big picture right after a game, but I did mention that the goal now is to get to a bowl game,” he said. “You know, how do we win six games? Every team we’ve played on the road has been a good team. This has been kind of a remarkable away schedule this year, so that will continue.”
The lone win on the road thus far was at Tulsa, a team that has free-fallen to a 2-6 record. The other five road opponents are all above .500.
When it’s all said and done, Lobo fans fan point to one moment where it all fell apart. Look no further than the Sept. 9 home loss to New Mexico State, UNM’s second straight loss to the Aggies.
That loss will probably be the difference between a 5-7 disappointment and a 6-6 postseason bid to the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
Unless, of course, the Lobos can salvage what’s left with a win in Laramie.
But don’t count on it.