As the college football regular season comes to an end, it is all but certain that the UNM football team, which has earned its first winning season in four years, has not done enough to secure a bowl berth.
Mountain West Conference officials announced last week that the University of Utah had accepted a bid to play the University of Southern California in the Las Vegas Bowl and that Colorado State University would face North Texas University in the New Orleans Bowl. The announcements left UNM's chance of a bowl bid hinging on an at-large berth.
But what hope remained for an at-large bowl bid for the Lobos was severely diminished when the Silicon Valley Bowl in San Jose, Calif. nor the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho, - likely the only other available slots for the 6-5 Lobos - expressed any interest.
"We've heard from both the Silicon and the Humanitarian Bowls that they're going to invite somebody else," UNM head coach Rocky Long said. "And if the teams they invite accept, we're out of luck."
Before last week, it seemed that the Lobos' best shot would be the New Orleans Bowl, with Brigham Young University, the Mountain West champion, moving into the BCS picture, and retaining hope of a bid to a BCS bowl with a 41-38 victory over Mississippi State University Saturday.
If BYU plays itself into the BCS picture and if the Liberty Bowl would have taken either Utah or Colorado State - which it was not committed to do - the Lobos might have been ripe for the picking. But it now seems as though Liberty Bowl officials will await the outcome of BYU's last game of the season next week at the University of Hawaii and final BCS standings to decide who will face the University of Louisville.
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Although the Lobos' post season hopes are dashed, Long reiterated his belief that this year's team helped the program take another step forward.
"If you look at the history of the football program here in the last 25 years, this is only the sixth winning season," Long said. "So having a winning season is a tribute to the senior class especially, but it's a good sign that our program is moving in the right direction."
In another bit of good news for the program, a number of Lobos, including running back Jarrod Baxter, linebackers Gary Davis and Mohammed Konte and cornerback Stephen Persley are reportedly entertaining offers to play in postseason all star games that feature seniors from across the nation.
The Albuquerque Tribune reported Baxter committed to the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game, while Davis is considering the East-West Shrine Game and the Blue-Gray Bowl. Konte and Persley are considering the inaugural Paradise Bowl in St. George, Utah. The Athletic Department could not confirm the commitments.
Long said the seniors are happy, but he knows they would have traded the individual accolades for a team-wide one.
"For them, it's a chance to show their ability to pro scouts, so that maybe they can continue their career at the next level," Long said. "It probably doesn't ease their pain or the rest of the team's pain or disappointment that they didn't get to go to a bowl game."
UNM announced last week that defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall was given a two-year contract extension and would have associate head coach added to his current job title. The Lobos finished 18th nationally this year in total defense allowed, one spot behind Utah.
