2023 UTEP Pre-Season Picks Contest

[kyyote]

I am retired and have plenty of time to spend pondering these things so I am going to make my predictions and invite others to do the same.  But, it is kind of like playing poker for matchsticks unless there's something on it more than just bragging rights.  So, there will be a prize.

Make your picks with winner, loser, and score.  Award one point for correct pick, win or lose.  Also, using weekly OPT scoring add three points for a 1st place win, two for 2nd, and so on.  Also, add three points for a correct pick against oddsmakers picks of winners or losers.  Pick an upset and it is worth three points.  No one knows who the favorites will be at this time.  We are pretty sure about some games and all have our own ideas for who we think may or may not be the team that will win.  Some of us are swayed by desire more than others.

Home                Winner                     Score Aug 26 UTEP                                 Jax State               UTEP                    30 28 Sep 2   Incarnate Word                  UTEP                     UTEP                       24 17 Sep 9   UTEP                                 Northwestern         NW                         31 24 Sep 16 UTEP                                 Arizona                  AZ                          44 28 Sep 23 UNLV                                 UTEP                     UTEP                       28 24 Sep 29 LA Tech                              UTEP                     LA T                        28 27 Oct 11 UTEP                                   FIU                      UTEP                        31 21 Oct 18 NM State                            UTEP                     UTEP                        27 17 Oct 25 UTEP                                  SHST                     UTEP                       27 24 Nov 4  WKU                                  UTEP                      WKU                        35 21 Nov 18 UTEP                                 Mid Tenn                Mid Tenn                   28 24 Nov 25  Liberty                             UTEP                     Liberty                       31 21

[Minermojo]

Wow, now that's what is called going in blind. We have no idea at all of the strength of any of these teams only of what they did last year. But, heck, I'm retired too...in a way, and I'll take a stab at it.



                                                      Home                Winner                     Score
Aug 26 UTEP                                 Jax State              Utep                        24-10

Sep 2   Incarnate Word                  UTEP                   Utep                         35-10 

Sep 9   UTEP                                 Northwestern       No.West                    28-13

Sep 16 UTEP                                 Arizona                Arizona                     38-17   

Sep 23 UNLV                                 UTEP                   Utep                         24-21 

Sep 29 LA Tech                              UTEP                   La tech                     17-13

Oct 11 UTEP                                   FIU                    Utep                         21-16

Oct 18 NM State                            UTEP                   Utep                         35-28

Oct 25 UTEP                                  SHST                   Utep                        32-  17 

Nov 4  WKU                                  UTEP                   Wku                          24-19   

Nov 18 UTEP                                 Mid Tenn             Mid. Tenn                   19-13 

Nov 25  Liberty                             UTEP                   Liberty                       35-10 

[MinerInWisconsin]

Not quite ready to make predictions but I'll try not to let my annual "hope springs eternal" optimism influence me unduly. I do hope the Miners can be more consistently good overall. Just a little more consistency over the past 3 seasons and UTEP would be gunning for their 4th straight bowl game.
Remember the weird 2020 season with a very close loss to UNT on the road that was supposed to be a home game? A win would have given UTEP a 4-4 season and a bowl but UNT went instead. After the NM Bowl in 2021 the 2022 season saw the Miners drop several close games, including a game ending field goal by UTSA, the best team in CUSA, to keep the Miners home during bowl season. Hopefully 2023 will be different.

[kyyote]

C-USA has named preseason teams, 1st through Fourth. The Miners are very well represented especially on the field 1st Team. It would seem to me that the Miners are expected to be one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the league. I think they also are unsure of what the level of the new teams are able to play this first year.
On another note, vegasinsider has UTEP as a one point favorite and other sites favoring Jacksonville State by two and a half.

[MinerInWisconsin]

C-USA has named preseason teams, 1st through Fourth. The Miners are very well represented especially on the field 1st Team. It would seem to me that the Miners are expected to be one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the league. I think they also are unsure of what the level of the new teams are able to play this first year.
On another note, vegasinsider has UTEP as a one point favorite and other sites favoring Jacksonville State by two and a half.

USA Today lists WKU as the favorite, Liberty as a strong contender and UTEP as the darkhorse. If those are the 3 favorites and UTEP hosts both WKU and Liberty, anything is possible. But there I go being optimistic again. Gotta quit that.

[Minermojo]

Don't fret Wisconsin, that's what makes us Miner fans. Every year we hope for the best and are disappointed. That's who we are. *sigh*

[KiddMiner]

I still have 4 yrs (unless I win the lottery or the Bull Market makes tremendous gains  and UTEP joins the Big 12) until I join the retirement crowd.

Here are my predictions

                                                     Home                Winner                     Score

Aug 26 UTEP                                 Jax State               UTEP                       28 17

Sep 2   Incarnate Word                  UTEP                     UTEP                       31 17

Sep 9   UTEP                                 Northwestern         UTEP                       31 24

Sep 16 UTEP                                 Arizona                  AZ                          34 31

Sep 23 UNLV                                 UTEP                     UTEP                       34 21

Sep 29 LA Tech                              UTEP                     UTEP                       21 17
 
Oct 18 NM State                            UTEP                     UTEP                       28 17

Oct 25 UTEP                                  SHST                     UTEP                       34 21

Nov 4  WKU                                  UTEP                      UTEP                       38 21

Nov 18 UTEP                                 Mid Tenn                Mid Tenn                  34 17

Nov 25  Liberty                             UTEP                     UTEP                        31 21

Miners win 9 and bowl bound with a WKU rematch in the CUSA Championship.

One can hope!!

[MinerInWisconsin]

I still have 4 yrs (unless I win the lottery or the Bull Market makes tremendous gains  and UTEP joins the Big 12) until I join the retirement crowd.

Here are my predictions

                                                     Home                Winner                     Score

Aug 26 UTEP                                 Jax State               UTEP                       28 17

Sep 2   Incarnate Word                  UTEP                     UTEP                       31 17

Sep 9   UTEP                                 Northwestern         UTEP                       31 24

Sep 16 UTEP                                 Arizona                  AZ                          34 31

Sep 23 UNLV                                 UTEP                     UTEP                       34 21

Sep 29 LA Tech                              UTEP                     UTEP                       21 17
 
Oct 18 NM State                            UTEP                     UTEP                       28 17

Oct 25 UTEP                                  SHST                     UTEP                       34 21

Nov 4  WKU                                  UTEP                      UTEP                       38 21

Nov 18 UTEP                                 Mid Tenn                Mid Tenn                  34 17

Nov 25  Liberty                             UTEP                     UTEP                        31 21

Miners win 9 and bowl bound with a WKU rematch in the CUSA Championship.

One can hope!!

Sounds good to me but don't forget the game at FIU between the La Tech and NMSU games.

[Minermojo]

Kidd, you're gonna have to invite us to your retirement party. I've got a whole bunch of Utep shirts I want to get rid of. LOL

JK man, I'll buy you a new one...from Walmart. Ha, ha.

[KiddMiner]

Hey Mojo
I could blame KY for the FIU flub.......but as I stated... 4 more years...yeah, this getting older bit has a few drawbacks.....(I actually blame the Anthrax injections) Thank You, Uncle Sam.

Anyway    UTEP  28   FIU  17

A 10-win season

My retirement party will be a season-long event, it will consist of making every Miner FB game. Road Trip.....

Consider yourself invited, I'll take the orange shirt..

[kyyote]

I would accept the blame.  I copied and pasted the schedule and cut out the stuff that didn't ned to be there.  All done on my laptop.  Then I saw what my phone does to it.

Could be the anthrax though.  Sam says Gulf Tango, carry on!  Take comfort in the knowledge that Sam made sure you are protected from that anthrax shit.  Hoorah!

And "Airborne!" for all of my non-dirty legged compadres out there.

Singing, " I don't know but I've been told, Eskimo girls are mighty cold!  Sound off.  One two.  Sound off! three four.  Brngit on down!  One two three four, one two, THREE FOUR!"

[Minermojo]

In the first days of basic everyone would wear their civies pants and a yellow shirt with Air Force in the front. So because we were all in different colors (because of the pants) we were called Rainbows. A diddy that someone created when we marched was, "Rainbow, Rainbow don't be blue, your TI was a Rainbow too," sound off and all that rot.

[SisyphusMiner]

what the hell.  I'll start paying attention if they get to 5 wins before Nov.  But here goes.  Another 5 win season that could have been 7 or 8.  Good enough to extend Dimel for another 50 years

                                                     Home                Winner                     Score         Comment

Aug 26 UTEP                                 Jax State               Jax St                     28-17        Jax will be stoked and ready to play

Sep 2   Incarnate Word                  UTEP                     UTEP                       28-17

Sep 9   UTEP                                 Northwestern         NW                         24-20       We lose a close one in a winnable game due to Hardison

Sep 16 UTEP                                 Arizona                  AZ                          35-17       We lose a winnable game due to Dimel play calling

Sep 23 UNLV                                 UTEP                     UTEP                       35-21

Sep 29 LA Tech                              UTEP                     UTEP                       24-21

Oct 11 UTEP                                   FIU                      FIU                          17-21         On paper we win this handily but a loss would not surprise me at all

Oct 18 NM State                            UTEP                     UTEP                        34-24

Oct 25 UTEP                                  SHST                     UTEP                       27 24        FBS play beginning to wear on SHST

Nov 4  WKU                                  UTEP                      WKU                        45-17       This is where the wheels fall off

Nov 18 UTEP                                 Mid Tenn                Mid Tenn                   35-21

Nov 25  Liberty                             UTEP                     Liberty                       42-14       

[KiddMiner]

All of you military types crack me up! 

[kyyote]

Yeah.  Me too.