The Colorado State Rams (4-3) are 6.5-point favorites when they host the New Mexico Lobos (3-4) in conference action on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. An over/under of 65.5 is set for the contest.
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The Rams beat the Air Force Falcons, 21-13, in their most recent contest. The Lobos beat the Utah State Aggies, 50-45, in their most recent game.
Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.
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Colorado State vs. New Mexico Game Information & Odds
When: Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET
Location: Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado
TV: MW Network
Live Box Score on FOX Sports
More College Football Predictions
Colorado State vs New Mexico Betting Information updated as of October 24, 2024, 7:47 a.m. ET.
Favorite
Spread (Odds)
Favorite Moneyline
Underdog Moneyline
Total
Over Moneyline
Under Moneyline
Colorado State
-6.5 (-112)
-238
+192
65.5
-108
-112
Colorado State vs. New Mexico Prediction
Pick ATS:
Colorado State (-6.5)
Pick OU: Over (65.5)
Prediction: Colorado State 40, New Mexico 26
Predictions are made by the Data Skrive betting model.
Learn more about the Colorado State Rams vs. the New Mexico Lobos game on FOX Sports!
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Colorado State vs. New Mexico Betting Insights
Per the spread and over/under, the implied score for the matchup is Rams 36, Lobos 30.
The Rams have a 70.4% chance to claim victory in this contest based on the moneyline’s implied probability. The Lobos hold a 34.2% implied probability.
Colorado State has won four games against the spread this season, while failing to cover three times.
New Mexico is 5-2-0 ATS this season.
Colorado State vs. New Mexico: Head-to-Head
Over their last two meetings, Colorado State has totaled two wins versus New Mexico.
In those matchups against New Mexico, the Rams have covered two times while never going over the point total.
New Mexico has been outscored by 46 points in its last two tilts versus Colorado State.
Colorado State vs. New Mexico: 2024 Stats Comparison
Colorado State
New Mexico
Off. Points per Game (Rank)
22.4 (103)
37.4 (18)
Def. Points per Game (Rank)
27.1 (89)
43 (132)
Turnovers Allowed (Rank)
13 (110)
12 (93)
Turnovers Forced (Rank)
9 (62)
9 (62)
Colorado State 2024 Key Players
New Mexico 2024 Key Players
FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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Minnesota football coach excited to face New Mexico in Rate Bowl
Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck said he and his players are looking forward to their Rate Bowl game vs. New Mexico, their first meeting in history.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers just win bowl games.
Drake Lindsey connected on a 12-yard pass to Jalen Smith in overtime to give Minnesota a thrilling 20-17 win over New Mexico in the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26.
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It is Minnesota’s ninth straight bowl victory. It is 7-0 in bowl games under coach P.J. Fleck.
New Mexico took a 17-14 lead in overtime after Luke Drzewiecki hit a 36-yard field goal, but Minnesota was able to top that with a 4-play, 25-yard drive, culminating with the Smith touchdown reception, his second of the game.
“It was a concept we ran all year,” Jalen Smith, who was named the Offensive Player of the Game, said. “The offensive line held up. It was just me doing the easy part.”
It was the third overtime game in Rate Bowl history.
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The game didn’t feature a lot of scoring through the first three quarters, with Minnesota taking a 7-6 lead into halftime, getting its first-half touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Lindsey to Smith late in the second quarter.
It remained that way until the fourth quarter, when Minnesota extended its lead to 14-6 on a 5-yard run from Darius Taylor with 13:30 left in the fourth.
But New Mexico got back into the game just 12 seconds later on a 100-yard kickoff return from Damon Bankston, the longest in Rate Bowl history. Jack Layne tied the game with a pass to Keagan Johnson on the two-point conversion.
Minnesota DL Anthony Smith was the defensive player of the game after recording six tackles, four of which were for a loss, and two sacks.
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“I wouldn’t want to be on any other team,” Smith said. “And that is why I am coming back for my fifth year. I love these guys.”
Lindsey went 18-for-28 for 147 yards, with two touchdown passes.
Jalen Smith had six catches for 64 yards, with two touchdown receptions.
Darius Taylor rushed the ball 24 times for 116 yards and a touchdown.
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Fleck lauded the Rate Bowl after his team’s win.
“What an elite experience,” the Minnesota head coach said after the game. “There are a lot of bowls out there, but they know how to do it first class.”
Jack Layne finished the game 14-for 25 passing for New Mexico, with 88 yards passing and one pass intercepted.
Bankston rushed 10 times for 57 yards for the Lobos.
Minnesota had 252 total yards, while New Mexico had 204.
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It was New Mexico’s first bowl appearance since 2016. The Lobos finished the year 9-4 under first-year coach Jason Eck.
“I thought we fought our tail off today,” Eck said. “We just came up a little bit short. I thought we particularly played well on defense … We were struggling to move the ball, it really didn’t end up hurting up because our defense did a great job.”
The Golden Gophers ended the year with an 8-5 record.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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Yonke’s prediction: Eck gets the better of Fleck in the Rate Bowl.
Dec 26, 2025 • 13:41 ET
• 4 min read
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Photo By – Imagn Images. New Mexico Lobos Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAAF
Bowl season ramps up in a big way Friday with a three-game slate, highlighted by a compelling Power Conference vs. Group of 5 clash in the Rate Bowl between the New Mexico Lobos and Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Jason Eck has emerged as a popular name on the coaching carousel for good reason, and he’ll look to notch his 10th win in his first season with the Lobos against a very beatable Big Ten opponent.
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See why my New Mexico vs. Minnesota predictions and college football picks for the Rate Bowl on Friday, December 26 are backing the Lobos.
New Mexico vs Minnesota predictions for the Rate Bowl
Who will win the Rate Bowl?
New Mexico will pull off the upset.
The Lobos have the better metrics overall and seem to have made a home run hire with Jason Eck. Finding a 10th win would be a massive victory for this program, and the momentum is heading in the right direction for a team that won six games and probably should’ve featured in the Mountain West championship game if we lived in a just society.
New Mexico vs Minnesota best bet: New Mexico +2.5 (-110)
Much has been made about the fact that the Minnesota Golden Gophers are 6-0 in bowl games under PJ Fleck. That’s all well and good — and it is of importance whether or not a coach has a reason to motivate his team in the wild era of current bowl games — but it’s not the only handicapping factor.
What stands out most to me is that Minnesota wasn’t a very good football team in 2025.
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They had a young quarterback, injured running backs, uninspiring wide receivers, a terrible offensive line, and a bad defense that allowed far too many crippling big plays. Even though they finished 7-5, the Gophers ranked outside the Top 90 in EPA per play on both sides of the ball and needed great fortune to go bowling.
The Gophers were also dreadful away from Minneapolis, losing all five games by an average margin of 24.4 points. They weren’t even competitive.
The New Mexico Lobos finished the season with six consecutive wins, building significant momentum in Year 1 of the Jason Eck era. He’s truly revitalized this program, and they’d love nothing better than to put an exclamation point on the season by toppling a very beatable Power Conference opponent.
Now that is motivation.
The Lobos have better metrics on both sides of the ball and are stout in the trenches (12th in stuff rate offensively, 19th defensively) — a necessary component when stepping up in competition. Give me the underdog.
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New Mexico vs Minnesota same-game parlay
Minnesota’s defense has been bad enough that New Mexico should have very realistic expectations of finding the end zone several times.
If the Lobos fail in that mission, it’d be a massive disappointment against a Gophers defense that ranks 116th in success rate and 106th in PFF’s overall defensive grade.
On the other side of things, New Mexico is solid defensively, but not elite. The expectation is for Minnesota to feature star running back Darius Taylor in this matchup, and start Drake Lindsey will hope to build confidence heading into next season.
The Gophers cashed the Over in every game away from home this season, so here’s betting on another.
New Mexico vs Minnesota SGP
New Mexico +1.5
Over 43.5
New Mexico vs Minnesota game predictions
New Mexico vs Minnesota spread prediction
The Lobos will cover this spread, making it five times in their last six games that they’ve done so. Eck’s squad was an underdog in six games this season and covered the spread in four of those contests. Count them out at your own peril.
New Mexico vs Minnesota Over/Under prediction
This game will sneak over the total due to Minnesota’s overrated defense that frankly hasn’t done much of anything well this season. The Gophers have allowed at least 38 points in four of their five games away from Minneapolis, so you can’t trust them in the bowl game.
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New Mexico vs Minnesota odds
Spread: New Mexico +1.5 (-110) | Minnesota -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: New Mexico +110 | Minnesota -130
Over/Under: Over 43.5 (-110) | Under 43.5 (-110)
New Mexico vs Minnesota trend to know
Minnesota is 0-5 ATS away from home. Find more college football betting trends for New Mexico vs Minnesota.
How to watch New Mexico vs Minnesota
Location
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Date
Friday, December 26, 2025
Kickoff
4:30 p.m. ET
TV
ESPN
New Mexico vs Minnesota latest injuries
New Mexico vs Minnesota weather
Monitor gametime conditions with our College football weather info.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
