@highdesertpedro well you certainly qualify as a “ no one” attempting to speak for all those that go to the game and stadium with the all time largest crowds. Don’t like it - don’t go but if no Lobo football, no UNM D1 sports - impossible to support without football TV $ - even an/the Aggie has that figured out.
Go Lobo football - really looking forward to the upcoming season!
@highdesertpedro How obnoxious you must be to make that statement, which I will now prove is a lie. I live in New Mexico and I care.
It is unfortunate you don't understand the concept of "figure of speech".
The overwhelming vast majority of New Mexicans do not like college football.
Repeat - largest attended team sport event in NM history is a Lobo football game - get a good, fun to watch team and the stadium will fill up again which is how the entire athletic department gets financially healthy. New Mexicans are not some totally different species (yes, we have some things that are different but so do others) - until Bob King that’s what folks like Pedro said about college basketball “no one cares…..”.
If the largest attendance in the state is a UNM football game then that is further proof New Mexico needs to go FCS or drop football completely. With a stadium capacity of only 39,000 that has only been filled 5 times in the past 30+ years - and in recent years garners an average of less than 15,000 (most in attendance are over 60 years old with merely a handful of students if any at all), and only 39K Twitter followers.
It is absolutely ludicrous to think New Mexico is able to sustain any type of success in football - especially now with NIL and the further separation between P5 and everyone else. We literally cannot afford it! And for UNM athletics to keep taking money from UNM academics and New Mexico taxpayers is absurd.
I am willing to bet you will enjoy New Mexico football games a lot better in the FCS when we would be among our peers competitively and financially.
Like it or not, these are the facts....
UNM FOOTBALL:
Never been ranked in the AP Top25.
An all-time losing record: .412 (407-562-17)
Never had Top 25-or Top 50- or Top 75 recruiting class.
New Mexico football has a losing record against every Mountain West opponent.
From 1931-1996 (65 years) New Mexico went to 4 bowl games.
No football conference title in over 50 years - and only 4 total.
New Mexico football during Rocky Long years as head coach (1998-2008):
Rocky Long had a losing record 65-69 as head coach of New Mexico football.
Rocky Long took New Mexico to 5 low tier bowls (Las Vegas, Emerald, New Mexico) and won 1 bowl game.
Rocky Long was 1-8 against Top25 opponents.
The average "attendance" the past five years (not including Covid year) is 14,000 - and that is clearly not butts in seats which is probably closer to 5,000.
The NCAA requires an attendance of 15,000 to maintain FBS status.
New Mexico football is #130 out of 131
https://masseyratings.com/cf/compare.htm
UNM reported attendance for 2022 football season was below 15,000.
FCS schools with higher average football attendance than New Mexico:
Jackson St. 42K
Montana 25.2K
Montana St. 21.2K
Southern 19.8K
Jacksonville St. 18.1K
Alabama St. 18K
North Dakota St. 17.3K
Delaware 16.9K
Alcorn 16.5K
South Dakota St. 15.5K
Sacramento St. 15.5K
FCS football teams Twitter followers:
North Dakota St. 102K
Jackson St. 82.3K
Yale 70K
James Madison 58K
Princeton 58K
Penn 53K
South Dakota St. 45K
Montana 53K
Harvard 45K
Cornell 38K
Florida A&M 38K
Kennesaw St. 38K
*New Mexico 38K*
Abilene Christian 36K
Sam Houston St. 36K
Stephen F. Austin 36K
Delaware 34K
Furman 34K
Northern Arizona 34K
Holy Cross 33K
Incarnate Word 32K
Let’s see, Pedro has gone from “no one” supports or cares about Lobo football to saying that Lobo football drawing the largest attendance of any team sports is proof UNM should drop football. Thanks for the lesson in logic.
LOL You're clearly losing the argument (if there ever was one) when you start reaching like that.
North Dakota State football is the biggest draw in North Dakota and they're FCS.
Same goes for Montana.
And, yeah, "no one cares" applies when New Mexico football only has 39K Twitter followers and 14,000 (which is being very generous) fans in the stand.
Compared to FBS schools in neighboring states New Mexico football would be dead last:
13th in Texas
3rd in Oklahoma
4th in Colorado
3rd in Arizona
4th in Utah
At some point you have to face reality and take the "L".
I think you are the one who has lost the argument with your illogical counter posts but my proof of your loss is the fact that UNM will be playing D1 football next year - there is NO real movement to eliminate UNM athletics, football or otherwise and thereby find additional money for academics - there would be no additional funds. UNM’s athletic department is supposed to be self-sufficient but it is one of the very few that has to count the cost of scholarships against its budget when in fact in an underutilized university (not at capacity), those scholarships don’t cost the university any money. MWC TV money is what keeps Lobo athletics afloat and drop football or go to FCS and no MWC with its TV money. NIL and the further separation of P5s might very well lead to a “new” division but if so, we should cross that bridge when we get there.
So, keep the incredible financial burden that is New Mexico football in an irrelevant MWC - a conference UNM has a losing record against all opponents - for $4m TV payout.
Instead of going to FCS.
Wow.
Repeat - largest attended team sport event in NM history is a Lobo football game - get a good, fun to watch team and the stadium will fill up again which is how the entire athletic department gets financially healthy. New Mexicans are not some totally different species (yes, we have some things that are different but so do others) - until Bob King that’s what folks like Pedro said about college basketball “no one cares…..”.
[/quote
This!!!
@highdesertpedro and you want to know something, Their our Lobos and support them. Thank you for your feedback.