Staff Report
According to the Mountain West Conference preseason poll, the UNM football team is not one of the top teams in the league this year.
The Lobos were picked by conference media members to finish fifth in the MWC, the lowest preseason ranking UNM has received since 2002. That year, the Lobos were picked to finish sixth but ended the season with a second-place finish in the conference.
In five of the last seven years, the Lobos have exceeded the MWC preseason rankings and have had a winning record for the past four seasons.
The MWC also voted on preseason all-conference teams. UNM offensive right tackle Robert Turner was the only Lobo to receive preseason All-MWC honors. Turner, who has started every game of his collegiate career, was named to the All-MWC team in 2005. He is also on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy as well as the Lombardi Award, which are given to the best offensive or defensive lineman in the nation. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. named Turner one of the MWC's top NFL Draft prospects, and Turner was also listed as a preseason All-American by Athlon Magazine and Street & Smith's College Football Yearbook.
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Despite bringing back key offensive players such as Turner and starting quarterback Kole McKamey, the Lobos lost two top players from last year's 6-5 squad. They lost the MWC's all-time leading rusher, tailback DonTrell Moore, as well as their top receiver, Hank Baskett.
