The New Mexico Lobos (3-4) travel to Fort Collins, Colorado, to take on the Colorado State Rams (4-3) on Saturday October 26. The game kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on Mountain West Network Live Stream.
The Lobos have won three straight games, including a 50-45 win over Utah State in their last game.
Meanwhile, the Rams have won two straight outings, and their last game was a victory over Air Force, 21-13.
Colorado State is currently favored by 6.5 points with an over/under of 65.5.
Continue below for my New Mexico vs Colorado State predictions and my college football picks for Saturday, October 26.
New Mexico vs Colorado State Picks, Prediction
- New Mexico vs Colorado State Pick: New Mexico Team Total Over 28.5
My Colorado State vs New Mexico best bet is on New Mexico's team total over, with the best line currently available at DraftKings, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
New Mexico vs Colorado State Odds, Spread, Lines
| New Mexico Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 65.5 -110 / -110 | +200 |
| Colorado State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 65.5 -110 / -110 | -245 |
- New Mexico vs Colorado State Point Spread: New Mexico +6.5 (-110) · Colorado State -6.5 (-110)
- New Mexico vs Colorado State Total: Over/Under 65.5
- New Mexico vs Colorado State Moneyline: New Mexico +200 · Colorado State -245
New Mexico Football vs Colorado State Football Preview
New Mexico Lobos Betting Preview: Exceeding Expectations
New Mexico has been one of the more surprising teams in the Mountain West Conference, as it's far exceeded preseason expectations up to this point.
The offense — led by quarterback Devon Dampier — has been electric, and it's consistent in putting up a ton of yards and points on a weekly basis.
On the road last week, UNM found itself in a 17-0 hole but as able to battle back in the second half before taking the lead with one minute remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Lobos racked up 552 total yards and scored five touchdowns in the second half — while overcoming four turnovers — in the win.
The defense continues to be a liability, as we saw another performance that yielded 45 points and 503 total yards against it.
We've seen very little improvement in the pass defense from New Mexico, which puts a lot of pressure on the offense to have to continue to outscore opponents to win games.
Colorado State Rams Betting Preview: Riding High After a Big Win
Colorado State comes in off of a rivalry road win at Air Force. The Rams were in firm control for the first three quarters, as the first nine Air Force possessions resulted in zero points and the Rams led the game 21-0.
Air Force found some life in the fourth quarter, scoring twice and had chances to get the tying score late before the Rams' defense shut the door.
The Rams' offensive line was able to push Air Force around, as the running game exploded for 205 yards on a 5.7 yards per carry average.
Running the ball will really help Colorado State this week, but I would also expect the pass offense to find success against a Lobos secondary that's been torched this season.
New Mexico vs Colorado State Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how New Mexico and Colorado State match up statistically:
New Mexico Offense vs. Colorado State Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 40 | 52 | |
| Line Yards | 9 | 57 | |
| Pass Success | 58 | 104 | |
| Havoc | 17 | 45 | |
| Finishing Drives | 52 | 107 | |
| Quality Drives | 54 | 78 | |
Colorado State Offense vs. New Mexico Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 44 | 132 | |
| Line Yards | 96 | 111 | |
| Pass Success | 96 | 130 | |
| Havoc | 84 | 118 | |
| Finishing Drives | 80 | 133 | |
| Quality Drives | 86 | 134 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 122 | 60 |
| PFF Coverage | 113 | 70 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 134 | 64 |
| Middle 8 | 57 | 107 |
| Seconds per Play | 25.3 (31) | 28.3 (93) |
| Rush Rate | 52% (79) | 57% (34) |
How To Make College Football Picks For My New Mexico vs Colorado State Prediction
I love what I've seen from New Mexico this season on offense, and I'm taking its team total over 28.5 this week.
The Lobos have scored 50 points or more three games in a row, and I don't expect the Colorado State defense to provide enough resistance to hold UNM under 30 points in this matchup.
Colorado State comes in ranked 111th in Defensive EPA Per Play and 113th in Standard Down Success Rate allowed. New Mexico will be able to put stress on the Rams' defense and should find itself in favorable situations consistently in this matchup.
Colorado State has struggled this year in creating defensive Havoc, having secured only nine sacks on defense and forcing just nine turnovers.
Since the loss against Fresno State, New Mexico has run for 289 yards per game while averaging 6.3 yards per carry with 17 rushing touchdowns all in three games. The Rams are only 71st nationally in Defensive Rush Play Success Rate and 130th in Defensive Finishing Drives.
When New Mexico works the ball into the red zone, it's scoring touchdowns on 72% of trips this season.
Look for Lobos' drives to end in touchdowns. Colorado State’s last two opponents — San Jose State and Air Force — couldn't run the ball and haven’t been able to all season with great effectiveness. This won't be the case here when lining up against New Mexico.
With all that's been talked about with the New Mexico offense, it has yet to play a game this season in which it's been able to sit on a comfortable lead.
New Mexico has had to outscore opponents to remain in the win column the last three weeks, and we've seen the Lobos score 35, 24 and 29 points alone in the second half of its last three games.
I'm not convinced that we'll see a ton of defensive improvement this week, and I expect Colorado State to have success through the air against the Lobos.
What we should see is continued scoring from New Mexico in all stages of the game, especially if playing from behind.
This will be another high-flying affair and one which I think New Mexico can win. I expect a close game in the late stages, and if New Mexico is trailing, there will be motivation to score.
If they're ahead, the Lobos will need to score to extend the margin, as the defense can't be trusted to consistently get stops to hold the lead.
Because of the current spread and posted total, the resulting team total for New Mexico to go over 30 points has value.
Pick: UNM Team Total Over 28.5
New Mexico vs Colorado State Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location, How to Watch
| Location: | Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, CO |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 26 |
| Kickoff Time: | 5 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | Mountain West Network |
New Mexico takes on Colorado State in Fort Collins on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on Mountain West Network.
