New Mexico
New Mexico vs Minnesota Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today — Rate Bowl
Yonke’s prediction: Eck gets the better of Fleck in the Rate Bowl.
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.
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.
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.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
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.
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.
Pages related to this topic
New Mexico
The Roundhouse Report: Bernie Sanders praises New Mexico
New Mexico
Blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings in effect for parts of New Mexico
Southeastern New Mexico will see some snow while other places will generally see cooler, more winter-like temperatures. See the latest conditions at KOB.com/Weather.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Some notable cities in New Mexico could see multiple inches of snow, along with possible wind and cooler temperatures Sunday into Monday.
There is going to be snow across the southeast. A winter storm advisory is in effect all throughout areas like Ruidoso and out toward the Texas state line. A winter storm warning for Carlsbad and even a blizzard warning for the Guadalupe Mountains. These advisories and warnings indicate it’s going to continue until Monday at 6 p.m.
How much snow might there be? Ruidoso could see a few inches, along with other higher-elevation areas. Carlsbad might even see as much as two inches and Roswell has a very good chance of snow.
Wind gusts ranged from 23 mph for Hobbs and Clovis, 25 in Santa Rosa and similar readings in other places. Temperatures could hit sub-freezing temperatures in places like Ruidoso, Roswell, Carlsbad and Hobbs. Meanwhile, Gallup and Grants could get into the single-digits. Plus, places like Albuquerque and Santa Fe will be in the 20s but the big “winner” is Alamosa, Colorado, with 2 degrees.
Chief Meteorologist Eddie Garcia shares all the details in his full forecast in the video above.
MORE:
New Mexico
New Mexico Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Day results for Dec. 27, 2025
The New Mexico Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 27, 2025, results for each game:
Powerball
05-20-34-39-62, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Day: 4-1-4
Evening: 3-8-4
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Lotto America
08-10-20-47-50, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 6-9-5-0
Day: 4-9-4-3
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Roadrunner Cash
03-21-24-33-37
Check Roadrunner Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
13-22-33-61-62, Powerball: 20
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Las Cruces Sun-News editor. You can send feedback using this form.
-
Entertainment1 week agoHow the Grinch went from a Yuletide bit player to a Christmas A-lister
-
Connecticut1 week agoSnow Accumulation Estimates Increase For CT: Here Are The County-By-County Projections
-
World6 days agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
Southeast1 week agoTwo attorneys vanish during Florida fishing trip as ‘heartbroken’ wife pleads for help finding them
-
Business1 week agoGoogle is at last letting users swap out embarrassing Gmail addresses without losing their data
-
World1 week agoSnoop Dogg, Lainey Wilson, Huntr/x and Andrea Bocelli Deliver Christmas-Themed Halftime Show for Netflix’s NFL Lions-Vikings Telecast
-
World1 week agoBest of 2025: Top five defining moments in the European Parliament