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Aggies coach Hal Mumme is throwing down the gauntlet.

"I think we've finally got the players and developed enough to really be competitive with the Lobos," Mumme said.

He didn't declare victory, but he did declare parity. And that is enough to scare any Lobos fan.

The University of New Mexico has had an upper hand in its rivalry with New Mexico State during Lobos coach Rocky Long's tenure.

Long is 6-3 against the Aggies, winning by an average of 20.5 points and losing by an average of 6.3.

New Mexico State is 2-13 in University Stadium since 1976.

The Lobos lead the series 62-30-5 overall and hold a 38-12-3 advantage in Albuquerque.

The Aggies usually needed a lot of grit, gumption and good fortune to upend the Lobos.

Now the tide is changing.

"I know a lot of our fans expect us to win this game, but I've always said rivalry games are very dangerous because both teams have a lot of incentive to win," Long said. "And this year, I think it's going to be tougher than ever. If I looked at us and saw how much we struggled our first game and looked at them and how much they improved since last year, I'd call it a toss up."

AGGIES TORTURED PAST

It seemed the Aggies might lose their football program before they ever became a real threat to the Lobos.

While the University of New Mexico never had a storied football past, New Mexico State had even less tradition to build on in Las Cruces.

The Aggies appeared to have hit rock bottom in the late 1980s when they lost 27 consecutive games.

Sports Illustrated called out New Mexico State 15 years ago, labeling it "Futility U" and the worst college football team in the nation.

The Aggies have owned other ugly losing streaks, including the longest string of losses in the nation when Mumme first took over the program.

In 2005, the Aggies were a national joke. It was Mumme's first year, and New Mexico State was the only team in the country that failed to win a football game all season.

The Aggies were lampooned by ESPN.com, among others, as one of the 10 worst teams in the country. It was hard to argue with the haters when New Mexico State finished 0-12.

This year the Aggies moved up ever so slightly in the eyes of analysts at ESPN.com.

The Web site rated all 119 football teams in the country during the past decade, and New Mexico State didn't come in last place. The Aggies ranked 110 out of 119 Division I schools after posting a 38-77 record and failing to go to a bowl game in the last 10 years.

The Lobos, meanwhile, were in better shape at No. 72 in the same poll.

"There's no question there's been a bad history here," Mumme said. "I mean, we haven't won a whole lot of games in University Stadium in the past 30 years. They have built a very strong, competitive program, and it isn't easy for us to get an upset on the road.

"I think we're coming around, but we did have an awful long way to go."

Texas-El Paso coach Mike Price, who in his entering his fourth year coaching the Miners, counts both the Aggies and Lobos as rivals.

He doesn't see what all the fuss is about, with so many people labeling New Mexico State a struggling program.

He doesn't think of the Aggies as a phoenix rising from the ashes.

"I never thought they were that bad," Price said.

He says former coach Tony Samuel, who led the program before Mumme, did a good job of fielding a competitive team every year and Mumme has continued the tradition.

Long has always been quick to praise the Aggies, careful not to stoke the fires of the rivalry.

"I've never agreed with the people who said we should always win this football game, even when I was a player," he said. "I think that you never know what's going to happen with rivalry games because both teams are going to play their hardest no matter how good or how bad they happen to be that year."

CLOSING THE GAP

Former New Mexico State linebacker Jimmy Cottrell, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens, said there was a reason his team often struggled to beat the Lobos.

He told reporters before the rivalry game in 2005, "We're the bastard stepchildren of New Mexico."

Cottrell called out state leaders for favoring the Lobos, lavishing them with the lion's share of money supporting college athletics.

He wasn't far off.

While University Stadium kept expanding during Long's tenure, Aggie Memorial Stadium was lucky to get a fresh coat of paint.

Did the fans follow the Lobos into their nicer digs or did the nicer digs draw them to the Lobos?

Did the Aggies' record leave fans more interested in watching a Mayfield High football game or did dilapidated Aggie Memorial Stadium chase them away?

Mumme credits third-year Athletics Director McKinley Boston with making sure the Aggies turned the tide on and off the field.

The Aggies have benefited from several major improvement projects, including a renovated weight room, new meeting rooms and a new scoreboard installed this year.

"We're starting to get a lot more things that make you a better program," junior quarterback Chase Holbrook said. "The recruits coming in are seeing a whole different place. We're getting some help to build a much better program."

The Lobos, however, are still leading the arms race.

"We are getting some good things done, but they do have a nice new indoor practice facility up there," Mumme said. "We've made progress, but we still have a long way to go."

CHANGING ATTITUDES

It doesn't seem to matter now that New Mexico State doesn't have top-shelf facilities.

Mumme has proven to be such a fierce competitor, he is tugging better performances out of his team.

"Coach Mumme won't settle for anything but the best from us," Holbrook said. "I know people can say that about a lot of coaches, but he has changed the way people think. We know we're a talented football team that can beat anyone if we work hard and execute our game plan."

When the Aggies finally won their first football game against Southeastern Louisiana in 2006, snapping their 13-game losing streak, Mumme marked the victory in a special way.

He sent a team manager out to buy a stuffed monkey.

Soon afterward, the Aggies burned Curious George - getting the monkey off their back.

"Other people may choose to think we're not a very good football team, but that just means they're going to be surprised on game day," said Chris Williams, the Aggies' top wide receiver who hails from Rio Rancho High School. "I think we've got a great team this year, and we have a great chance of beating the Lobos."

New Mexico State players always make the same kind of statements to reporters when they're about to face the Lobos.

But this year, the Aggies have given fans on both sides of the rivalry a reason to believe parity finally has arrived.