Update on New Mexico’s 2020 Schedule

With the uncertainty surrounding what life will bring with the COVID-19 pandemic, so to, of course, is the 2020 College Football season. This past week the Power Five Conferences all decided to stick to mostly in conference seasons, with some playing just one out of conference game, while others playing none.

Said decisions have left Group of Five and Independent teams in a bind. For the New Mexico Lobos, they lost both of their so-called money games for the season. Games slated against USC and Mississippi State were going to pay New Mexico a combined $2,050,000 for those two contests. Aside from the money loss, the schedule for the Lobos may begin to look drastically different come the end of August.

New Mexico is scheduled to open their season on August 29^th when they play host to Idaho State. The Lobos will have to wait and see if the Mountain West Conference will use the same approach as the Power Five Conferences and play a conference only schedule in the fall. Until then the Lobos are mulling some options, including moving the August 29^th game opponent to someone different.

The Lobos are scheduled to take on New Mexico State on September 19^th. However, the Aggies were supposed to play UCLA on August 29^th, but that contest has been canceled. So, UNM is now mulling the idea of moving their contest with NMSU to August 29^th from the aforementioned September 19^th. UNM would then move the contest against Idaho State into the September 19^th spot that would be left vacant from moving up the matchup with New Mexico State.

At a press conference this past week UNM head coach Danny Gonzales said that “everything is on the table,” when it comes to the Lobos’ 2020 schedule. New Mexico is ready to have the schedule change even on a weekly basis and says it will work with the MWC and the NCAA on how to fill holes in their schedule. As of now, New Mexico will have open dates on September 5^th and 12^th, but one can expect those to be filled with either conference games or filled by a game that might be pushed back from August 29^th.

Given the fact that the Lobos already moved the start of their preseason from this past Friday until the first week of August is an indication of just how ever changing the Lobos 2020 will be. Right now, everything is on the table.