College football is right around the corner, and teams are gearing up for the start of the season. To get fans primed for the new season, I’m going to look at each Texas FBS programs’ schedules over the next few weeks. I’ll be doing so in a unique way by breaking down each schedule into 4 3-game quarters. Without further ado let’s take a look at the first school up, the UTEP Miners.
Quarter 1
September 3rd: New Mexico State Aggies in El Paso, TX at 6:00 PM MT
September 10th: University of Texas Longhorns in Austin, TX at 5:00 PM MT
September 17th: Army Black Knights in El Paso, TX at 5:00 PM MT
The first game of the 2016 season is against the New Mexico State Aggies at home. Last year the Miners pulled off a 50-47 win, so this one could come down to the wire again. After the Aggies, the Miners don’t get an easy one as they have to travel to Austin to take on the Longhorns. This game will be no easy task even if the Longhorns don’t have their quarterback situation figured out yet. I don’t expect this one to be very close, sorry Miner fans. After what should be a tough one in Austin, Army comes into town to take on UTEP. Army went 2-10 last season, but seven of their ten losses were by 7 points or less. This could be one of those games that’s determined by who has the ball last.
Quarter 2
September 24th: Southern Miss Golden Eagles in El Paso, TX 6:00 PM MT
October 1st: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in Ruston, LA 5:00 PM MT
October 8th: Florida International Golden Panthers in El Paso, TX 6:00 PM MT
Southern Miss rolls into El Paso on September 24th and if the Golden Eagles play like they did last year, this one could be over quickly. The Golden Eagles went 7-1 in C-USA play last year and beat the Miners by 21 in 2015. UTEP will then travel to Louisiana to kick off October, and they’ll be facing a very different Bulldogs team. Louisiana Tech will be without both QB Jeff Driskel and RB Kenneth Dixon since they now call the NFL their home. Florida International travels to El Paso following the Louisiana Tech game, and Miner fans are hoping for a different outcome from last season. The Golden Panthers rolled the Miners to a tune of 52-12 in 2015. Hopefully it’ll be a little more competitive this go-around.
Quarter 3
October 22nd: UT-San Antonio Roadrunners in San Antonio, TX 5:00 PM MT
October 29th: Old Dominion Monarchs in El Paso, TX 5:00 PM MT
November 5th: Houston Baptist Huskies in El Paso, TX 6:00 PM MT
The UTSA Roadrunners went 3-9 last year, and one of their only 3 wins came at the Miners’ expense. Can UTEP get revenge or will they fall again? After a trip to San Antonio, the Miners host two home games in a row. Old Dominion recorded a 10-point win last season in Virginia but will have to travel to El Paso on Halloween weekend this season. After what should be a good game against the Monarchs, the Miners play host to Houston Baptist. UTEP’s FCS opponent went 2-9 last year so this game could provide a boost in confidence for the Miners.
Quarter 4
November 12th: Florida Atlantic Owls in Boca Raton, FL 4:00 PM MT
November 19th: Rice Owls in Houston, TX 10:00 AM MT
November 25th: North Texas Mean Green in El Paso, TX TBA
After what should be a win against Houston Baptist at home, the Miners travel to Florida to take on the Owls of Florida Atlantic. UTEP won last year 27-17, and they’ll be looking to pull out another W this time around. After their trip to Florida, the Miners have an early kickoff in Houston against Rice. UTEP squeaked out a 3-point win last season, and I expect this to be another close one. To wrap up the season, the Miners get to play host to UNT. The Mean Green have a new head coach after going 1-11 last year, and I don’t believe things will start turning around for them just yet. It should be noted that all of UTEP’s games have the kickoff time already set except for their game against North Texas.
As you can see, UTEP’s schedule is pretty balanced. No quarter is really all that much tougher than the others, but if I had to rank them from toughest to easiest I’d go Quarter 2, Quarter 1, Quarter 3 and Quarter 4. If the Miners can manage to go 3-3 in their first 6 games, I believe that they can find themselves in a bowl game at the end of the 2016 season.
