UTEP Miners News

Sporting News staff reports Texas-El Paso coach Mike Price's job is safe, the school's athletic director says, regardless of how the Miners finish the season. Athletic director Bob Stull said in a report by El Paso television station KVIA that it's only right to bring back Price for at least one more season even though UTEP is 3-7 this year and Price is 33-37 in his six seasons at the school. Stull pointed out that the Miners will return... running back Donald Buckram, who ranks second nationally in rushing with 1,422 yards, and quarterback Trevor Vittatoe. "We have Trevor coming back and Buckram ... those people, their senior year, to be fair to them and also to give them a chance to maximize their senior year and give Mike the full five years of his recruiting class, I think that would be fair," Stull said in the report. "And I feel good about that."more>>

EL PASO, Texas-Mike Price's Miners would love another shootout with Houston. At least that would mean their offense has bounced back from last week's drubbing at Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas-Sputtering, stuttering and staggering, Colt McCoy and the No. 2 Texas Longhorns have had trouble getting started this season.

EL PASO, Texas- This border run was a big fiesta for the Kansas defense.

DALLAS-Kansas showed just how tough it can be at home last weekend during a rout of overmatched Northern Colorado. Now, the Jayhawks head to West Texas trying to forget about all the problems they had on the road last season.

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranked the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Big 12 No. 3 Pac-10 No. 4 Big Ten No. 5 Mountain West No. 6 ACC No. 7 Big East No. 8 C-USA ... No. 9 WAC No. 10 MAC No. 11 Sun Belt 8. Conference USA 1. Houston (1-0) 2. Tulsa (1-0, 1-0) 3. East Carolina (1-0) 4. Southern Miss (1-0) 5. UAB (1-0, 1-0) 6. Memphis (0-1) 7. UTEP (0-1) 8. Rice (0-1, 0-1) 9. Marshall (1-0) 10. Tulane (0-1, 0-1) 11. UCF (1-0) 12. SMU (1-0) Rising UAB. Good-guy coach Neil Callaway walked into a mess in Birmingham two years ago, and weeded out the malcontents while winning six games. Now look at the Blazers: A big conference win against Rice, and a potential 3-0 start with games against SMU and Troy the next two weeks. Falling UCF. Looming legal troubles have sucked the life out of a program coach George O'Leary once had a firm hold on. Now he's playing out the string and his team is struggling to beat I-AA Samford.  more>>

Dennis Dodd is mystified how San Diego State has fallen, landing at No. 105 in the decade rankings. But hope comes with Brady Hoke, turnaround artist of fellow flounder Ball State.

PIcking Conference USA

UTEP allowed at least 42 points in six of its seven defeats last season, including 77 at Tulsa and 53 at East Carolina, making recruiting priorities crystal clear for Miners head coach Mike Price.

SPRING AHEAD Spring practice starts on March 31 and ends with the spring game in the Sun Bowl on May 2

--After two seasons, QB Trevor Vittatoe already ranks third in UTEP history with 6,375 passing yards, trailing Jordan Palmer (11,084) and Billy Stevens (6,485)

Random thoughts on a football Monday