How NMSU Can Embrace Football as an Independent

[CrimsonPhantom]

The Aggies of New Mexico State have a harsh reality to face.

Western Athletic Conference football is all but confirmed as dead from 2013 onward. The WAC is not going to be able to entice anyone from the Big Sky to join the conference, and if they do attempt to expand eastward, those teams would probably leave as soon as they got a better opportunity.

The football program at NMSU has not had historical success. The last time the team got through a season with fewer than five losses was 1967. The team has only had a double-digit win total once in its entire history, in 1960, which was also the last time the Aggies appeared in a bowl game.

Despite all of that, I think it is entirely possible for New Mexico State to live on as an FBS independent. It won't be like the life of Notre Dame or BYU—it will probably be closer to the existence of the Army football program. But there is hope if the folks in charge do what is needed.

Continue reading here- bleacherreport.com/articles/1283980-how-new-mexico-state-can-embrace-football-as-an-fbs-independent

[newmexag]

Good find. Interesting take on our situation - I am guardedly optimistic we could make it work for a few years.

First though, I don't really agree with focusing recruiting on Texas instead of California. There are now 12 FBS programs in Texas, and only 7 in California. More importantly maybe, there are 7 non-BCS schools in Texas to compete against and only 3 non-BCS schools football schools in Cali. NMSU is not going to compete with the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, Stanford, USC, etc. But we do compete against the non-BCS like Rice, San Jose State, North Texas, etc. And then there are the FCS schools in Texas, that, like it or not, NMSU is in recruiting competition with (now at 3 I think). So, Cali has 3 schools for us to compete against, and Texas has 10.

Certainly Texas produces a lot of great football talent, but we are far down on the pecking order in the Lone Star state. Yes, we are closer to Texas, but not by that much. In California - which also produces a ton of football talent, I think we have a better shot.

Plus Walker is established as a credible recruiter there.

Not that we shouldn't recruit Texas, I just think our prime focus should be Cali.

As for being able to put together a schedule as an indy FB program I don't know - maybe. I have no idea how receptive other FBS schools will be to home and home arrangements with NMSU. Possibly that will work. We have one with Ohio now - maybe we can get more MAC, and add Sun Belt and MWC schools. But it will take a number of arrangements to fill out 4 home games each year (allowing for one home from UTEP/UNM).

We can easily get 2 or 3 money games away each year. We could possibly get a one-for-two from BYU or a school like Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Baylor.

That would mean a schedule something like this:
Home (5):
-UNM/UTEP
-FCS
-Idaho/ BYU (alternating each year)
-MWC
-Sun Belt/MAC

Away (7):
-UNM/UTEP
-BYU
-Money game
-Money game
-Idaho/money game (alternating each year)
-MWC
-Sun Belt/MAC

As mentioned in the article, NMSU could use our BB program to help entice some home and home arrangements. Will be interesting to see. Certainly we will have to do so for 2013, and probably 2014 at least.

[CrimsonPhantom]

I think NMSU can only make it happen for a few years. Then we need to find a conference. Don't want to go indy, but that looks like where we are headed.

[agsean]

Good article.

I would hate to see us go indy. I just hope a schedule can be worked out. We will get through this aggies, we always do.