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UNM football: Lobos get more time on tube
Four games will be aired on national TV under new schedule
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Amid all the grumbling about TV coverage, the Lobos could have it much worse.
The University of New Mexico football team was one of many programs that struggled with the Mountain West Conference's new TV deal with CSTV and the Mountain during the 2006 season.
"I think the first year was shaky at best and it probably hurt attendance figures for a lot of sports, but I think we all anticipated the first year would be a little rough," Lobos coach Rocky Long said. "I think long-term this will be a great deal for the league. I'm hoping more fans will be able to follow us on the Mountain this year, and you can't beat being on national TV four times this year."
The TV forecast looks brighter for the 2007 season, with UNM appearing on national TV four times for the first time in school history. Three of the Lobos' games will be broadcast on CSTV and one will air on Versus. Six more games will be shown on the Mountain. The Lobos' game at Arizona also is expected to be broadcast regionally, likely on Fox Sports Southwest.
The Lobos will play 11 games on Saturdays and one on Thursday.
"I think this is a really good schedule for us," Long said. "I'm very happy with the way it worked out for us."
If he had any lingering doubt, Long only has to look at the Mid-American Conference TV schedule to appreciate UNM's slate.
The MAC, a similar-sized conference in the Midwest, has teams playing two Tuesday games and two Wednesday games to land prime-time slots on ESPN2. The conference compensated by adding an extra week to its schedule so no team has less than a week between games, but it's still the type of schedule that would infuriate most college football coaches.
"That's unbelievable," Long said. "I've never played on a Tuesday. I don't even know how I would prepare for a Tuesday game. Like I said, I'm happy with our schedule."
UNM opens with three traditional rivals - playing at UTEP on Sept. 1 on CSTV, against New Mexico State on Sept. 8 on the Mountain and at Arizona on Sept. 15.
The Lobos return home to face Sacramento State on Sept. 22, then begin conference play by hosting BYU on Sept. 29 on CSTV.
UNM's bye is relatively early this season, landing on the weekend of Oct. 6.
The Lobos then play at Wyoming on Oct. 13 on the Mountain; at San Diego State on Oct. 20 on CSTV; against Air Force on Oct. 25 on Versus; at TCU on Nov. 3; against Colorado State on Nov. 10 on the Mountain; at Utah on Nov. 17 on the Mountain; and against UNLV on Nov. 24 on the Mountain.
UNM's sole Thursday game is against the Falcons.
"The only thing that might be a little tough for us is that TCU will have a little advantage with a bye week right before they play us," he said. "Normally I'd also be concerned about playing Air Force on a Thursday, but we're hearing they're not going to be running the wishbone anymore. We should be fine if they're running a more traditional offense."
Spring football: Long changed his spring football schedule, with the Lobos practicing April 16-21, April 23-28 and April 30-May 2. UNM's spring scrimmage will be played on May 2.
Long said he made the changes to give the Lobos more time to bulk up during their conditioning program and allow new coaches on his staff to develop a strong plan for the practices.
The workouts are typically spread over three weeks, with several days off, but Long said he thought a condensed approach would help the team this year.
"I'm hoping they will get into more of a rhythm and be sharper because they won't have as many days off between practices," Long said. "And I hope it carries over to the fall a little bit better because we will be doing it a later in the spring than usual."
