The destination is the same; the opponent is not. The UNM football team is going bowling again.
But what's really going to be different for the Lobos when they travel to Sin City for the Las Vegas Bowl Dec. 24 is that "this year, we're going there to win," head coach Rocky Long said.
The announcement came Sunday at a news conference in Long's office - the Lobos are the unanimous choice of the Las Vegas Bowl board to play, for the second straight year, in the Christmas Eve game.
"I think personally, and a lot of people that have followed Lobo football think, that this is the culmination of the best Lobo football program since the Bill Weeks era of the 60s," Athletics Director Rudy Davalos said.
So far, though, the 8-4 Lobos' foe has yet to be determined.
"Currently, it looks like Oregon State," Tina Kunzer-Murphy, executive director of the Las Vegas Bowl, said. "They have one more game against USC (on Dec. 6), but if we were to go today, that's what we're hearing."
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The California University Bears are the other potential opponent, Davalos said, should the Beavers upset USC.
The Lobos, winners of their last four and seven of their last eight, will look for redemption after a 27-13 loss to UCLA in Las Vegas last year.
UNM's late-season surge, capped off Saturday with a convincing 26-3 victory over Wyoming in snowy conditions, and "the great defense you're playing right now," were the deciding factors in the bowl board's decision to invite the Lobos, Kunzer-Murphy said.
If the Oregon State scenario plays out, fans can expect a hard-nosed affair chock full of defense and running.
"It'll be an interesting match up," Long said. "Two great running backs and two great rushing defenses - it'll be a fun game to watch."
Those running backs - Oregon State's Stephen Jackson and UNM's DonTrell Moore - are regarded as two of the best in the West.
Long said he hasn't yet set his team's practice schedule for the month between now and the big game, but his philosophy won't change much from last year.
"In a bowl preparation, you don't practice every day of the week," he said. "You usually practice, then give them a day off, practice, then give them a day off, until you get to the bowl site. Then you practice four or five days in a row. We'll use the same formula."
Regardless of who the opponent is, Long said, there is but one acceptable outcome.
"We had a great time last year," he said. "Our players love Las Vegas just like our fans do. But this year, there'll be more emphasis on winning the game."
