EL PASO, Texas — Welcome to the Western Athletic Conference's football coach-in-limbo tour, where the University of Hawai'i apparently plays a pivotal role in deciding who stays and who goes.

Last week the Warriors drew Utah State, whose coach, Brent Guy, had been the subject of growing speculation about his continued employment with the Aggies.

And this week, just up the interstate from here, the Warriors confront another Aggie coach supposedly facing an uncertain future, New Mexico State's Hal Mumme.

Two coaches among the nine-member conference on the hot seat and UH gets them back to back. Who is booking this grim spectacle, anyway?

The growing feeling is that Utah State's 30-14 victory over UH bought Guy an opportunity to at least come back for the final year of his five-year contract.

Mumme, who has two years left on a contract that was amended to six just 11 months ago, might need a win over the Warriors just as much.

A lot was expected of New Mexico State, which was supposed to make a run this season at securing its first bowl game since 1960. Indeed, upon taking the job four years ago Mumme set high standards, telling fans: "On the field our number one goal is to win the WAC. You play in a conference to win it. The second goal is to get to a bowl game. When you play in a great league like the WAC, that's the benchmark."

And, the pieces seemed to be in place for this season with senior quarterback Chase Holbrook and his star receiver, Chris Williams, back from an injury-plagued junior year.

But, to date, Mumme is 11-34 (4-24 WAC) in four seasons and bowl dreams have fallen on hard times in a 3-5 campaign where the losing streak is at three as the Warriors come to town.

Blowing a lead against upstate rival New Mexico to lose, 35-24, didn't help and neither did the inability to be competitive in a 49-0 blowout by Boise State in front of the home crowd Saturday.

Mumme's "Air Raid" offense has all but been grounded by injuries that have rendered a thin and makeshift offensive line little more than a speed bump to the backfield. With little running game to speak of and scant time to throw deep, the Aggies have managed a total of 28 points over three games.

Which means, once again, the Warriors find themselves up against a desperate opponent and a coach ready to pull out all the stops.

The Warriors (4-5) do not lack for urgency themselves, needing at least three victories in the final four games to earn an appearance in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

And no coach, no matter how sensitive to the travails of his peers, wants to be the one they get better against. When that happens too often, people can start to point the fingers at him, too.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.