If New Mexico is going to be a factor in the Mountain West, the Lobos will desperately want a win here.
The Lobos started out the season 4-1 overall with a Power Four victory at UCLA followed by a 38-20 triumph over in-state rival New Mexico State. Since then, they’ve lost twice on the road against San Jose State and Boise State – the latest game being decided by 16 points.
With an 0-2 record in league play, UNM is seeking to rebound against Nevada, which is 1-5 and 0-2 against Mountain West teams. The Wolf Pack have lost four straight games, and they fell 44-10 against San Diego State at home last week.
This is a contest between two head coaches who were recently in the FCS and are seeking to prove themselves in the Mountain West. Nevada head coach Jeff Choate and New Mexico head coach Jason Eck were at Montana State and Idaho, respectively, two schools in the Big Sky.
Nevada vs. New Mexico Betting Odds
New Mexico is a -13.5 college football betting odds favorite against Nevada, with the Over/Under being 49.5 as of this writing.
The moneyline for Nevada is +375, while it’s -500 for New Mexico.
Nevada vs. New Mexico On TV
The matchup between Nevada and New Mexico will be televised on FS1.
The game will kick off at 9:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 18. The contest is taking place at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Nevada vs. New Mexico Prediction
I predict New Mexico will win and cover the 13.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 49.5 total points.
There’s little reason for optimism with Nevada. Having watched the Wolf Pack’s loss against San Diego State, the Aztecs were clicking in all three phases of the game. With Nevada’s record being what it is, I don’t think the confidence level is very high there right now.
New Mexico, though, is highly motivated to win this game. The Lobos have the talent to compete for a Mountain West title, in my opinion, but they need to prove it.
And if they can’t make it to the conference championship, at the very least they’ll want to make it to a bowl game.
Scoring hasn’t exactly been a strength for either team this season. New Mexico is seventh in the Mountain West in scoring offense, averaging 29.17 points per game, while Nevada is last with 14.5 PPG. On the other hand, the Lobos are seventh in scoring defense with 27 PPG allowed, and Nevada is right behind at eighth with 28.67 PPG given up.
I do believe this will be a low-scoring battle. But I think New Mexico’s offense, led by quarterback Jack Layne, and defense, led by linebacker Jaxton Eck, will play complementary football at home en route to a win.
