New Mexico enters as the Mountain West's feel-good story of 2025; Nevada is still digging out of a five-game skid that ended its season. The Rio Grande Rivalry renews Friday, November 6, with very different trajectories on each sideline.
Bush’s Picks
UNMNEV
UNMNEV
OverUnder
Best BetNew Mexico
New Mexico is the team trending up and Nevada is the team still searching for stability, and that gap should hold up even on the road. The Lobos beat this same Wolf Pack team last season and return the more proven pieces, starting with a Coach of the Year staff and a returning star linebacker. Nevada's rebuild has real building blocks, but not enough yet to flip a moneyline read against a program playing with more confidence.
New Mexico
+9-4 in 2025, Jason Eck named MW Coach of the Year
+LB Jaxton Eck returns after 128-tackle, co-DPOY season
+Won last meeting 24-22 in Reno
−Quarterback job still open, Oregon transfer in the mix
−Heavy roster turnover via transfer portal on offense
Nevada
+O-line allowed just 18 sacks, 4th-fewest in MW
+Three different backs topped 300 rush yards in 2025
−Finished 3-9, lost five straight to end 2025
−Still rebuilding under Choate entering year 3
New Mexico's turnaround under Jason Eck was one of college football's better stories last fall, and it didn't happen by accident. The Lobos went 9-4, went unbeaten at home for the first time since 1962, and made just their second Rate Bowl appearance in program history. Eck was named Mountain West Coach of the Year for it. Nevada, meanwhile, closed 2025 on a five-game losing streak and finished 3-9 in Jeff Choate's second season, the kind of stretch that puts a program squarely into rebuild mode heading into year 3.
The Lobos bring real continuity on defense into this one. Linebacker Jaxton Eck, the head coach's son, piled up 128 tackles last season and was named the conference's co-Defensive Player of the Year — he's back and anchoring a group that should be one of the Mountain West's stiffer fronts again. The bigger question in Albuquerque is at quarterback, where Oregon transfer Luke Moga is in the mix to win the job after getting squeezed out of the Ducks' room. New Mexico also leaned hard into the transfer portal on the offensive skill spots, bringing in running back Gabriel Wilson and receiver Devard Darling Jr. to reload after last year's group.
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UNM New Mexico
NEV Nevada
Nevada's rebuild has a foundation to point to, even after a rough record. The offensive line, coached by Cameron Norcross, allowed just 18 sacks last season, fourth-fewest in the Mountain West, and paved the way for three different backs to top 300 rushing yards. Left tackle Foster started every game and returns as the unquestioned anchor up front. The issue was everything else — a 3-9 finish doesn't happen without problems on defense and in the margins, and Nevada will need those to close before this program looks like a bowl contender again.
New Mexico Lobos
Oct 30?@ San José State—
Oct 16?@ Hawai'i—
Oct 2?vs UTEP—
Sep 26?@ New Mexico State—
Sep 19?@ Oklahoma—
Sep 11?vs Mercyhurst—
Sep 5?vs Central Michigan—
Nevada Wolf Pack
Oct 30?@ UCLA—
Oct 17?@ North Dakota State—
Oct 9?@ UTEP—
Sep 25?vs Air Force—
Sep 19?@ Middle Tennessee—
Sep 12?vs Montana State—
Sep 5?vs Western Kentucky—
Recent form.
The last time these two met, it wasn't close to a laugher, but New Mexico still walked away with it. D.J. McKinney ran for two touchdowns and Scottre Humphrey added another as the Lobos beat the Wolf Pack 24-22 in Reno last October, extending Nevada's skid to five straight losses to close the year. That combined 46 points is worth keeping in mind for a rematch — neither program built its identity around slamming the door shut, and both offenses have new pieces to plug in by the time November rolls around.
New Mexico Lobos
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Nevada Wolf Pack
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
This is about as far out as a preview gets — quarterback battles, two-deep chart changes, and injury news will all shift plenty between now and kickoff. But the framing is clear enough: New Mexico is the program with momentum, a Coach of the Year, and a defense that returns its best player. Nevada is the program still hunting for the corner it hasn't turned yet, building around an offensive line that's ahead of the rest of the roster. The Rio Grande Rivalry doesn't need marquee stakes to be worth watching — just two teams heading in opposite directions.
