New Mexico's turnaround under Jason Eck is one of the best stories in the Mountain West, and it heads to San Jose State with the Spartans still trying to figure out who they even are.
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Best BetNew Mexico
New Mexico brings back its starting quarterback and a defense loaded with returning stars from a 9-4 season, while San Jose State is trying to win games with a brand-new quarterback and a roster that turned over more than a dozen bodies. That's the kind of talent and continuity gap that shows up on the scoreboard more often than not. Back the Lobos to win this one outright.
New Mexico
+Returning starting QB Jack Layne off strong 2025
+Reigning Mountain West Coach of the Year in Eck
+Defense returns Co-DPOY Jaxton Eck and more starters
−Lost 8 players to the portal this offseason
−Replacing starting RB and TE production
−Coming off just second bowl trip since 2016
San José State
+21 incoming transfers to rebuild the roster fast
+New DC Filimoeatu gets a fresh scheme to install
+Nowhere to go but up after a 3-9 collapse
−3-9 in 2025, conference record just 2-6
−14 outgoing transfers gutted last year's core
−New QB Weaver still learning a brand-new offense
This one's set for a late kickoff at 11:00 PM ET on Friday, October 30, closing out the day's slate. New Mexico rolls in off a 9-4 season that ended with a Rate Bowl trip, the program's first bowl appearance since 2016, and Jack Layne is back under center after a strong 2025 to keep that offense humming.
San Jose State is on the other end of the spectrum. The Spartans crashed to 3-9 last year after three straight seven-win, bowl-eligible seasons, and Ken Niumatalolo responded with a near-total roster overhaul. Fourteen players hit the transfer portal on the way out, Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver steps in at quarterback, and 21 incoming transfers are supposed to patch the holes. That's a lot of new faces trying to gel by the time Halloween weekend rolls around.
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UNM New Mexico
SJSU San José State
New Mexico isn't standing pat either. Eck, the reigning Mountain West Coach of the Year, lost eight players to the portal himself, including running back DJ McKinney and tight end Dorian Thomas, but the core of what made the Lobos good stuck around. Linebacker Jaxton Eck, last year's Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year, headlines a defense that also returns cornerback Abraham Williams and defensive end Darren Agu, giving New Mexico a foundation San Jose State simply doesn't have right now.
The gap in continuity is the whole story here. New Mexico is running it back with a quarterback who's already proven he can win in this league, plus a defensive front that terrorized teams a year ago. San Jose State is asking a transfer quarterback to learn a new offense with a mostly new receiving corps, behind an offensive line that was already a question mark before the portal churn hit. That's a tough combination for a team also opening the season against USC.
New Mexico Lobos
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
San José State Spartans
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
None of this guarantees New Mexico waltzes into San Jose and takes care of business easily. Road games late in the season are always a little unpredictable, and a team this reshuffled can still find its footing by late October if the new pieces click faster than expected. But on paper, the Lobos are the program with answers and the Spartans are the program still asking questions.
