![]() The Pit is regarded as one of the toughest arenas in the country for road games, this would make for intriguing conference matchups in an expanded Big XII. The Wolves Lobos have produced quality players such as Danny Granger, Michael Cooper, and Luc Longley. Led by 3rd year coach Craig Neal, New Mexico maintains an all-time record of 1445-1035, including 15 NCAA tournament appearances. On the hardwood, the Wolves Lobos are a nationally-relevant powerhouse that defines the school’s athletic program. However, an invitation to join the Big XII would definitely raise the profile of the program to instate prospects, as well as appealing to recruits in the nearby territory of Texas, Colorado, Arizona and even California. only lists eight Division 1 prospects coming out of the state, of whom the top 2 are committed to out-of-state schools. ![]() While the Wolves Lobos are far from a traditional power, one must ponder whether a move to the Big 12 would jumpstart their programs, especially considering their proximity to several recruiting hotbeds.ĭespite homegrown greats like Brian Urlacher, New Mexico is far from a recruiting hotbed. There have been some historically relevant players to come out of Albuquerque, including star players Brian Urlacher, Glover Quinn, and Hank " Please don’t Google my wife" Basket. The Wolves Lobos currently maintain a bowl record of 3-8-1, including a bowl drought from 1961 to 1997 (For you history buffs, that’s Marilyn Monroe to Monica Lewinsky). Led by former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie, New Mexico managed to earn its first bowl invitation since 2007, losing to nearby Arizona. New Mexico maintains an all-time record of 451-536-31, and that’s against a historic slate of WAC and Mountain West opponents. There’s no way to ease into this, so we’re just going in dry: New Mexico football is bad. Plus, New Mexico has a top-notch law school, and I have always been a staunch supporter of ANAL. As of the last federal study in 2008, New Mexico Football graduated 66% of its students-athletes, which would rank in the top half of the Big XII at the time. With an acceptance rate of 45.5%, New Mexico was considered a "Top Western College" by the Princeton Review, and is currently ranked as the 116th best university in the U.S. New Mexico maintains an enrollment of 27,353 students, and is considered one of the largest employers in the state. Because despite the distance to Ames and Morgantown, the shot callers of the Big XII reside in the Southwest, and we Northerners are just along for the ride. Albuquerque’s size, combined with the increased footprint into a large metro, may sway some in the favor of New Mexico. Situated in the Southwest, New Mexico would make a natural rival for Texas Tech (roughly 300 miles away) as well as any western school that may potentially take the 12th and final spot. and also belongs to the 52nd largest metro as well. ![]() Albuquerque ranks as the 32nd largest individual city in the U.S. New Mexico is the 36th most populated state in the country, with more than half of its population located in the Albuquerque metropolitan area alone. The University of New Mexico is a large public university located in the city of Albuquerque. As we delve deeper into similarities New Mexico may have to other Big XII schools, keep in mind that I have nothing but the utmost respect for our conference-peers ( Rock Chalk Talk). ![]() In fact, the conference even filed trademark to the moniker Big 14 just to be safe (Take that, Jim Delaney!). According to various reports, BYU and New Mexico were widely viewed as top candidates should the conference have decided to become the Big 14. In the mid-90s, as the Big 8 was putting the finishing touches on one of the first true conference realignments, there were widespread rumors that the conference may not be satisfied at 12 teams. (Please play this video while reading to achieve-full effect) ![]() The amount of feedback I received from Cyclone Nation, as well as our conference allies and even some of the nice folks out West, has given us reason to profile another candidate in that general direction who may not on anybody’s radar: the University of New Mexico Wolves! Lobos! BIG 12 CONFERENCE EXPANSION SERIESWelcome back for part 2 of our series on prospective candidates for entry into the Big XII Conference. ![]()
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