The Conference USA schedule was released Wednesday, a week after new divisional alignments were announced for 2013-14 that included the additions of Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic. UTEP is in the seven-team West Division with UTSA, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, Tulsa, Rice and Tulane. Its crossover games against the seven-team East are at home against Florida International on Nov. 16 and to close the season at Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 30.
The Miners have a bye on Aug. 31, the opening week of the season, and open league play Aug. 21 at home against new member UTSA. They also play Louisiana Tech at home on Oct. 5 and Tulsa at home on Oct. 12 before playing five of their last six on the road, including the Nov. 2 date at Texas A&M.
The only home game in the last month and a half of the season is against FIU.
Aug. 31 bye
Sept. 7 vs. New Mexico
Sept. 14 at New Mexico State
Sept. 21 vs UTSA
Sept. 28 at Colorado State
Oct. 5 vs. Louisiana Tech
Oct. 12 vs. Tulsa
Oct. 19 bye
Oct. 26 at Rice
Nov. 2 at Texas A&M
Nov. 9 at North Texas
Nov. 16 Florida International
Nov. 23 at Tulane
Nov. 30 at Middle Tennessee
Well you can kiss the 2013 season adios before it even begins! Five of your last six games on the road? Five home games total (unless you count at NMSU as a home game)? What the heck? That is just an absolute brutal schedule for a first year head coach!
Then again we no longer have Coach Magoo as head coach. THE KUG is in charge now, and hopefully he'll kick some tush and chew bubble gum at the same time, and actually whip the team into a fine tuned respectable NCAA FBS college football program.
I have high hopes for THE KUG. I'll have to give a bye this season, as I'm sure THE KUG had no input whatsoever with this scheduling. Thanks a lot Stull! Perhaps you should follow in the footsteps of Coach Magoo too!
Posted by: jUTEP | 01/30/2013 at 04:33 PM
It was already known UTEP would only have 5 home games because of the road construction going around the Sun Bowl. And to be honest, this schedule does not seem brutal except for A&M. Only issue will be how quickly Kugler gets his team to mesh this off-season. Most of these teams are former Sun Belt & WAC schools from just one year ago. If team can get in groove right off the bat, a legit case can be made for them making a bowl game. All depends on how they though...
Posted by: Adam | 01/30/2013 at 05:42 PM
Not impressed with the Conference USA or the football schedule (Florida International??). Still, UTEP will never be an SEC caliber type team. Here's hoping for a bowl game in 2013-14. Go Miners!!
Posted by: Robert | 01/30/2013 at 06:44 PM
I can't believe this is the best Stull could do. As alluded to earlier - we knew we were only going to play 5 home games, but the way they were structured was poorly done. Plus, the last two games of the season are on the road. WTHO?!
Price and Stull should've retired as a package deal. He's stinks as an AD - what do the powers that be see in that guy? I believe college athletics have passed him. He's not creative, and thinks in the box, rather than outside of one. Way too conservative for a CUSA program.
He hasn't upgraded the athletic facilities since the early 2000s, hasn't nailed down any new big donors; and comprehensively, the program isn't that competitive outside of CUSA.
Don't people in El Paso know how to complain to Natalicio? Athletic programs can be a lucrative asset to a university (when run correctly). You would think he would've scheduled pay games with BCC caliber schools, since he knew he was only going to play 5 home games. The only payday we have this year is A&M.
Posted by: Pascal Fortran | 01/30/2013 at 10:40 PM
Robert: Florida International will be on-par with Miami University by 2020. They have competed w/them from a recruiting standpoint, and are a wealthy school. They are copying UCFs model, have a great feeder system within 200 miles of their campus, and great financial donors. Their about where UCF was in 2005 - UCF is an evolving national power.
Don't forget, FIU was blowing teams out during the 2011/12 season. They were expected to make leaps and bounds this year; did not, and fired a popular and successful coach (Cristobal). Their AD is serious about winning.
Don't be surprised if you see them get invited to an expanded Big East relatively soon. The new look Big East will be good - it's basically the old CUSA schools, plus Houston and SMU. Tulsa will soon join that conference as well.
Posted by: Pascal Fortran | 01/31/2013 at 09:05 AM