Where Will The Miners Go Bowling?
For the first time since 2014, the Miners have travel plans in December and a plethora of bowl options await them.
One of the more fascinating stories of the college football season has been UTEP's resurgent season. The Miners are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2014. Unlike many teams, the Miners have plenty of bowl options. Let's investigate the candidates.
New Mexico Bowl
The New Mexico Bowl is the most logical destination with Albuquerque sitting only four hours away from El Paso. The Miners have gone to the New Mexico Bowl twice before in 2010 and 2014, so their appearances have been spaced out enough for Miners fans and the New Mexico Bowl committee to not grow weary of UTEP.
Furthermore, they draw well in the bowl, attracting the bowl’s two largest crowds among editions that New Mexico did not play in. But, the Miners did visit University Stadium earlier this year, so fans may desire a change of scenery. However, the opportunity to reunite with a former WAC foe like Fresno State or Air Force is enticing and may bring the Miners back to the Land of Enchantment.
Frisco Bowl/First Responder Bowl/Armed Forces Bowl
The trio of ESPN-owned bowls could be the next suitor for the Miners. El Paso is isolated from Texas' big cities including the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as it is around 600 miles from the DFW area. The Miners have never been to any of these bowls, so the "change of scenery" effect is in play.
Another upside is the venues are smaller, particularly Toyota Stadium, home of the Frisco Bowl, which seats only 20,500. Getting 5,000 to 10,000 Miners fans to Frisco should not be a tall task, given the program’s recent struggles.
Hawaii Bowl
This possibility is more random than anything, but UTEP has never appeared in the Hawaii Bowl. When the bowl has a C-USA representative, it often picks a school from the West Division, while the Bahamas Bowl opts for an Eastern team. UTEP has never played in the Hawaii Bowl, so that is good enough reason to believe it is in play.
UTEP fans are familiar with Hawaii as the Miners and Rainbow Warriors were conference foes in the WAC, playing every year from 1975-1995 and 1998-2004. The two-year break only came when the WAC expanded to 16 teams from 1996-1997.
For the Hawaii Bowl, UTEP may not be as much of a gamble as it seems with Clarence T.C. Ching Stadium seating only 9,000 people. What better way to cap a resurgent season than a trip to Hawaii?
The stakes are high for whichever bowl UTEP goes to as they have not won a bowl game since 1967. The potential to host a historic moment of that magnitude is even more of a reason for these bowls to target UTEP. As for which bowl, only time will tell.