LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Gentlemen, start your offenses.

Everybody else, find a comfortable chair and grab a Snickers because when the University of Hawai'i and New Mexico State football teams meet here today at 2 p.m. (Hawai'i Time), we could be here for a while. A loooong while.

Or, as New York Jets scout Jim Cochran explained when asked at UH's practice yesterday if he was going to stick around for the game: "I looked and saw this game starts at 6 o'clock (Mountain Time) and figured it won't get over until Sunday sometime. I don't have time to stay that long."

Boise State head coach Chris Peterson told reporters, "It might take two days to play."

And that is with the benefit of the NCAA's new measures to speed up games.

Such are the possibilities posed by the pairing of two of college football's most pass-happy offenses and mad scientist head coaches with personal stakes on this one. NMSU's "Air Raid" offense, which is No. 1 in the NCAA, averaging 433 yards per game, and UH, which is No. 2, putting up an average of 420. The Aggies average 54 1/2 passes a game; UH chucks 44 a contest.

The over-under on the number of passes thrown? "Something like 120," predicts NMSU coach Hal Mumme.

With two such disciples of air power, UH's June Jones and Mumme calling the shots and trying to out-do each other, Mumme joked, "the first one who punts is a wimp."

At least we think it was a joke.

But, then, both are coaches who march, er, pass to similar drummers. Coaching iconoclasts from the same pod. One, Mumme, who flies a pirate flag over his practice field watch tower, and the other, Jones, who introduced the so-called "Chad Owens rule" five years ago permitting players to showboat a little when UH is up by 24 points or more. Brothers of the same throw-first-and-ask-questions-later fraternity. Two deacons of the church of the forward pass.

"Kindred spirits," as Mumme says, to be sure. But today definitely opponents and, not to be overlooked, intense rivals for aerial superiority of college football. Think it wouldn't be a cherished bragging right to emerge from this game as a big winner and owner of college football's top-ranked offense? Then, guess again. Because you know there is more than a little ego involved in whose Xs and Os carry the day.

For this is what figures to become an annual referendum on whose offense packs the bigger bang. The Jones and Mouse Davis progeny of the "run-and-shoot." Or, Mumme's second cousin twice removed of the old LaVell Edwards and Brigham Young University offense.

It is a matchup given added spice by Jones and Davis having worked on a Detroit Lions staff with NMSU defensive coordinator Woody Widenhoffer and NMSU linebackers coach Herb Paterra. And with Mumme, while at Valdosta (Ga.) State having gone and picked the brains of Jones in his Atlanta Falcons days.

Last year when they met in Round One, a 49-28 UH victory at Aloha Stadium, the game required a season-high 3 hours, 47 minutes and involved a UH-record 119 passes between the two of them. And just think, UH quarterback Colt Brennan was still learning the offense and NMSU didn't have its quarterback, Chase Holbrook, who was redshirting.

Now, they're one-two in the country in several major passing statistics and getting better by the week. Their 41 combined touchdown passes this season is only three fewer than the other seven WAC starting quarterbacks' combined total and is ample reason oddsmakers have had trouble setting the over/under line for this one. And why, Mumme said, his office has fielded calls from New York to Canada on how far-flung fans of wide-open football can tune in to watch.

With Brennan and Holbrook on the same field, they might as well offer the respective defensive coordinators a blindfold and a cigarette and give punters, if not running backs, the night off.

The matchup reminds him, Mumme said, of his stay at Kentucky when Tim Couch was going up against Tennessee's Peyton Manning. Or, when Florida and Steve Spurrier came to town. Mumme said, "Those were a lot of fun, too, just like this one will be."

So, grab a chair. Unless, of course, you have to be somewhere else before Sunday.

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