Week 12 News & Notes

Week 12 News & Notes in PDF Format

DOUBLE THE FUN: Ski New Mexico, in association with the New Mexico Tourism Department, has partnered with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl to provide ticketholders an extraordinary opportunity to enjoy two New Mexico True experiences. From December 17-24, 2017, one bowl game ticket can be redeemed for a free lift ticket. This offer is valid at one of Ski New Mexico’s eight great ski areas: Ski Apache, Taos Ski Valley, Ski Santa Fe, Pajarito Mountain, Red River Ski Area, Angel Fire Resort, Sipapu Ski Resort, and Sandia Peak. The Gildan New Mexico Bowl ticket must be presented in person at the ski area ticket office for redemption and must be used the same day as redeemed. Limit is one per person and there is no cash value or refund.DOUBLE THE FUN: Ski New Mexico, in association with the New Mexico Tourism Department, has partnered with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl to provide ticketholders an extraordinary opportunity to enjoy two New Mexico True experiences. From December 17-24, 2017, one bowl game ticket can be redeemed for a free lift ticket. This offer is valid at one of Ski New Mexico’s eight great ski areas: Ski Apache, Taos Ski Valley, Ski Santa Fe, Pajarito Mountain, Red River Ski Area, Angel Fire Resort, Sipapu Ski Resort, and Sandia Peak. The Gildan New Mexico Bowl ticket must be presented in person at the ski area ticket office for redemption and must be used the same day as redeemed. Limit is one per person and there is no cash value or refund. Gildan New Mexico Bowl tickets are on sale now at the UNM Ticket office, located in the Northeast corner of Dreamstyle Arena, online at www.unmtickets.com or www.gildandreamhousenewmexicobowl.com or by phone at the UNM ticket office (925-5626) or the Gildan New Mexico Bowl office (925-5999). Discount codes ($5 off $25 North End Zone general admission or $10 off $40 premium bowl tickets) are also currently available on New Mexico Lottery Powerball®, Mega Millions® and Mega Millions® Just the Jackpot™ tickets through Friday, December 8.

ANNUAL THREE-DAY TICKET SALE NEXT WEEK: The Gildan New Mexico Bowl is running a three-day ticket sale Wednesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 17, offering fans discounted tickets and a chance to win a VIP experience. Tickets eligible for the $5 off promotion include the South End Zone Field Suite tickets, which normally retail for $75 and include a meal and beverage. Lower Bowl tickets (normally $40) and North End Zone General Admission tickets (normally $25) are also included in the three-day sale. Each order during this sale will automatically be entered into a drawing for VIP prizes. The grand prize is a VIP parking pass, four passes to the ESPN VIP Tailgate Party, four tickets in the End Zone Club and one VIP Bowl gift package. Second prize is a VIP parking pass, two passes to the ESPN VIP Tailgate Party and two tickets in the End Zone Club. Third prize is a VIP parking pass and two tickets to the ESPN VIP tailgate party. The offer is valid at the UNM Ticket office, located in the Northeast corner of Dreamstyle Arena, online at www.gildandreamhousenewmexicobowl.com or unmtickets.com, or by phone at the UNM ticket office (925-5626) or the Gildan New Mexico Bowl office (925-5999).

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK:  Friday night we will see one more Conference USA team become bowl eligible as 5-5 Middle Tennessee takes on 5-5 WKU. Later in the evening, the Mountain West’s UNLV fights to stay in the running as the Rebels visit New Mexico.

Saturday, C-USA has five league games and two nonconference contests. Old Dominion needs to pick up a win to stay alive for the postseason, hosting Rice for just the second meeting in the series. Louisiana Tech is also in a must-win situation as it heads to UTEP Saturday afternoon. UTSA can become bowl eligible with a win at home as Marshall makes its first trip to the Alamodome.

In nonconference play, UAB takes on Florida for the first time since 2011. The Blazers have never beaten the Gators but Florida is struggling this season, posting a 3-6 overall record and are already eliminated from a bowl. North Texas takes on Army in a rematch of last year’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Black Knights are 2-0 against C-USA this season so far, beating UTEP at home and Rice in Texas.

The Mountain West has five conference matchups on Saturday, beginning with Fresno State in Laramie against Wyoming. The Bulldogs are one win away from clinching a spot in the Mountain West Championship. Utah State could become bowl eligible with a win, taking on Hawai`i for the first time since 2014. Air Force is in a must-win situation Saturday night as it visits Boise State. The Broncos are unbeaten in league play this year but Air Force may have momentum on its side having a three-game win streak against Boise State. In fact, the Falcons are the only MW member to have a winning record against the Broncos.  Please check out the complete schedule with series notes and viewing information on page 1.

POSTSEASON OUTLOOK: The first of 78 bowl bids has been officially claimed. Army earned its sixth win in Week 8, solidifying its automatic spot in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. There are 58 other teams around the FBS who are now bowl-eligible. Every conference has at least three teams eligible. The SEC leads the way with eight ready for the postseason. Two teams, Ole Miss because of a self-imposed penalty, and Coastal Carolina because its transitioning to the FBS, are ineligible for the postseason. There are 25 others have been eliminated from postseason play, leaving 44 still in the running.

Conference USA has six members that are among the group waiting for an invitation while the Mountain West has five. San Diego State, Colorado State, Boise State, Wyoming and Fresno State are eligible to fill the five bowl commitments the league has in tact. Conference USA has six bowl tie-ins which Marshall, Florida Atlantic, FIU, North Texas, Southern Miss and UAB wait to fill. The MW’s Utah State is just one win away from joining the party, as are C-USA’s Middle Tennessee, WKU and UTSA. From our partner conferences, C-USA’s Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech and the MW’s Air Force and UNLV, all 4-6 overall, are on the cusp of elimination and must win out the remainder of its games. C-USA’s Charlotte, Rice and UTEP have already been eliminated, as have the MW’s Hawai`i, Nevada, New Mexico and San Jose State.

POSTSEASON PROJECTIONS: Several national collegiate football analysts do their best to piece together a prediction for how the bowl lineup will turn out. The projections for the 2017 Gildan New Mexico Bowl vary with seven different Conference USA schools and five Mountain West programs getting nods. San Diego State leads the way as the Mountain West representative with six nods while Colorado State (2), Wyoming (2), Fresno State (1) and Utah State (1) also garner votes. For Conference USA, three are predicting the North Texas Mean Green will be making their first appearance in the Albuquerque-based bowl while Southern Miss, UTSA and FAU received two bids apiece. Here’s a complete breakdown: