The University of New Mexico football team again has escaped its daily soap opera back in Albuquerque, "As the Investigation Turns," which has turned a dreary Lobo season into a side note.

Today, UNM (0-8, 0-4 Mountain West Conference) has an opportunity to gain a giant measure of redemption - on the field, at least - if it can somehow manage to upset 17th-ranked Utah (7-1, 4-0) at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"Yeah, I won't lie to you," says Lobo senior right guard Joshua Taufalele, when asked whether playing a ranked team had special meaning. "In a sense, we're playing spoilers now, we have nothing to lose but all to gain. They've got a lot to lose and little to gain."

While New Mexico embraces the opportunity to make news for its football - even with a 12-game losing streak - the Utes probably would just as soon skip it and go onto next week's showdown at No. 6 TCU.

Though they'd never admit it.

"We have to get ready to play our best game," coach Kyle Whittingham says, "just like we do each and every week."

Utah's problem is that it has yet to play its best game, especially on offense. It has trailed in the second halves of three of its past four games but found a way to win all three.

The Utes have scored 27.1 points per game to tie for a pedestrian - for them, anyway - 56th nationally among 120 Division I-A teams. Their 393.1 yards per game is tied for 48th.

The Lobos rank 114 in scoring offense (15.5 points) and 109th in total offense (306.4).

Prior to Utah's game last week against Wyoming, Whittingham changed play-callers. He sent wide receivers coach Aaron Roderick upstairs in place of offensive coordinator Dave Schramm, so he could counsel the quarterbacks on the field.

"I believe the time to make a change is when you need to, not necessarily when things aren't going well and you are in panic mode," Whittingham said. "We are trying to get better. We would like to blow people out, but that's not happening. We are trying to find the right combination."

Still, the Utes trailed 10-3 to the Cowboys at the half.

That's when they made another change, inserting true freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn for struggling junior Terrance Cain. Utah outscored Wyoming 19-0 in the second half to win 22-10.

"Jordan is more of a pocket passer," Whittingham says. "He's got a strong arm, he's very accurate, he gets the ball out of his hand quickly and makes quick decisions. That's something that was negative in first half (against Wyoming). Terrance held the ball a couple times and got a couple of sacks in red zone in the first half that we stress cannot happen."

Whittingham has not committed to a starting quarterback.

Lobo coach Mike Locksley says Utah's indecision at QB will make it more difficult for UNM to formulate a defensive game plan.

Defensive coordinator Doug Mallory, however, downplays Wynn's significance should he get the call today: "I can't imagine they're going to change a whole lot schematically if they put a true freshman in back there. I think they're going to run the same things they've done all year."

Locksley added that he liked UNM's chances against Utah, based on the Utes' 13-10 escape in University Stadium last season.

"Our team has played Utah well in the past - up in Utah or whether it be here, regardless of their record," Locksley said, "and I expect our team to do so again this week."

Today's game marks the 1,000th in Lobo history. It's a milestone that is another casualty of the eight-week saga of a Sept. 20 physical altercation between Locksley and former wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald gone wild.

A win over a nationally ranked program, however improbable, can begin to return talk of Lobo football to the field.