July 17, 2006
SAN DIEGO – The University of New Mexico was picked to finish fifth in the nine-team Mountain West Conference in a poll of the league media members released this morning at the MWC Media Day event. It’s the lowest preseason projection for the Lobos since 2002 when the team was picked sixth. New Mexico has surpassed its preseason expectations fives times in the last seven years, including a second place finish in `02.
Defending champion TCU was tabbed to win the 2006 MWC title, receiving 16 first place votes and a total of 213 points. BYU was chosen second with 192 points and five first place votes, followed by Utah’s 188 points and three first place votes.
Colorado State was the fourth team to receive a first place vote and finished fourth in the poll with 130 points. New Mexico earned 119 points, followed by San Diego State (6th – 104 points), Air Force (7th – 70 points), UNLV (8th – 58 points) and Wyoming (9th – 51 points).
Senior offensive tackle Robert Turner (Austin, Texas) was the lone Lobo selected to the preseason all-conference team. Turner, a first team all-MWC pick at guard last year and 2006 All-America candidate, has started all 36 games of his career and averaged 10.3 knockdown blocks per contest. This fall he will slide over to right tackle full time – a move former UNM standout Claude Terrell also made as a senior en route to all-MWC honors in 2004. Terrell started 10 games last season as a rookie for the St. Louis Rams.
Turner is on watch lists for both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy and was listed as a preseason All-American by Athon and Street & Smith’s. He has also been named as one of the MWC’s top NFL Draft prospects by ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Lindy’s Magazine.