UTEP takes its semiannual shot at the big time when it travels to Oklahoma as a 31-point underdog to play the No. 9 team in the country.
On paper, the Miners are longshots. UTEP is 4-56 all-time against ranked teams and its never beaten a Big 12 opponent. This will be the fifth time the Sooners and Miners have played, the fourth time as an Oklahoma opener, and OU is 4-0. Oklahoma has also won 11 of its last 12 openers.
What UTEP is assured is a six-figure payday, and also the chance to play on national television against a team it can use as a measuring stick.