Realistically, in a season dubbed a "rebuilding year" by pundits, how many games does the UNM football team expect to win?
"Our goal is to win one game every week and then count them up at the end," head coach Mike Locksley said. "I'll leave the prognosticating up to you guys."
However, Locksley added that when he found out the Lobos were selected to finish seventh in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll, his first reaction was, "I'm in Las Vegas - lucky seven. I'm hoping to make seven a lucky number."
And perhaps luck will be on Locksley's side. After all, could it get worse? Last year, the papier-mÉché Lobos finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the MWC. UNM was hindered by injuries - including a season-ending injury to quarterback Donovan Porterie - in a year where the team's schedule was one of the most difficult to date.
Seven of UNM's 12 opponents reached bowl games, and all 12 teams combined to finish the year 89-63.
Still, even after a 13-10 loss to Utah, UNM had a chance to salvage its season. It just had to get two victories in two winnable games against UNLV and Colorado State to become bowl eligible. But the Lobos couldn't do it.
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Then, with one game left, former head coach Rocky Long not-so-subtly suggested that he would step down at the end of the season. Saying he wasn't a "miracle worker," Long's resigned attitude served as another distraction in a year already marred by misfortune.
And, as the adage goes, "a team is only as strong as its leader." With nothing at stake, the Lobos bowed to Colorado State, 20-6. Three days later, Long resigned as head coach.
Although there wasn't a visible, full-fledged mutiny, players' frustration with the coaching staff mounted over the year, though they didn't dare question the staff at any point last season.
Several offensive players thought that they were underused, and that Long and former offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin didn't "trust" their players. The Lobos' offensive ineptitude also stirred chain reactions and caused breakdowns on both sides of the ball.
Offensive lineman Eric Cook said it made several units' jobs more difficult, particularly the front fives.
"When we are running the ball 90 percent of the time and throwing four passes a game, it's kind of hard to get used to that," he said. "You're going to have D-linemen coming at you run-style every time. They're going to be bull rushing."
Can it get any worse? Possibly, but Locksley doesn't envision it happening.
"I put no credence into preseason polls," Locksley said. "They're just that - preseason."
