Every game we play is a must win game! We are drowning in a whirlpool and in danger of going under. Our conference is the conference of last resort and it is sinking. Conference USA is a dead man walking thing. WKU and MT almost left and will. There are 131 teams and the last 10 teams at the bottom, includes FIU. NMSU, finally found a group of teams also at the bottom. UTEP is 3 teams away from the bottom ten teams. Remember that teams being ditched has yet to finish. We have seen how the whole thing works, especially being UTEP we have been in the ditched group many times. The top teams tire of being held down by the bottom teams in the conference and leave and the conference fills the loss with lower teams looking to move up. We are so far down the chain that the only teams lower than us are FCS teams looking to move up. So, next year we have WK ranked 43 and MT ranked 78, and then LA Tech is at 100 and we are at 118. Liberty will join WHU and MT at the top ranked 70. Then there is NMSU ranked 126 and FIU at 131. Add Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State. Conference USA is in its final throes of death. Liberty will move up with WKU and MT and quickly.
Now, since we have experience in this we can see what is about to happen to the MWC. The Sun Belt has picked up some good teams but have also gotten too big and too many bottom feeders. The MAC too would like to streamline. Those three conferences will shuffle in the near future. So, for us the question will be are we a wanted team or deadwood. We have always been the deadwood. Up or down. Which way are we headed and is anyone doing anything about it? Others are looking at us and asking the same question. The only thing they have to judge us on is history and the here and now. History says we aren't doing anything to get better. The here and now is all we have left to make our case on. Every game is a must win game. Charlotte is ranked 124. If we have any hope for a better future we have to be able to beat one of the worst teams in the country with ease. Every damned game needs to be the "good" miners. Our only chance is to win all of the tough games we shouldn't win to show that we aren't the bad UTEP. After Charlotte, we get LA Tech. They are weak this year so a win is a must and won't buy us much credibility. Then we get a chance to prove to someone that we are worth having when we play FAU and then MT and again we get a game we have to win and won't get much credit if we do but add an anchor if we lose against Rice. Then a worthless game against FIU that can only be bad for us if we lose, because winning means nothing. Finishing the season with UTSA could be our saving grace. Beat them and that is what will be remembered. Lose and well it is what everyone expects.
Every damned game is a must win game. We are down to last chance games.
MWC Under 100(Good) and ____ over 100(bad) ranked
AFA
Fresno
Boise
UNLV
SJSt
SDSt
Wy
_____
NV
UNM
UT St
CO St
MAC
Tol
Kent
CMU
___
Buf
Mia
NIU
WMU
EMU
Akron
Sun Belt
Ap St
Marsh
S Ala
JMU
CC
Troy
SM
GA St
LMC
Ar St
____
ODU
GA St
Tx S
UL Mon
C-USA
WKU
UAB
FAU
MTU
UTSA
____
LA Tech
UNT
Rice
UTEP
FIU