North Dakota State vs New Mexico game
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
North Dakota State (6-1) plays at New Mexico (5-1) on Oct. 24, with the Lobos favored by 4.5.
It is their first meeting, and New Mexico's Mountain West lead is at stake.
Background
North Dakota State is the Bison, coached by Tim Polasek, sitting 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Mountain West (the college football conference both teams play in). New Mexico is the Lobos, 5-1 and 2-0 in conference play, holding first place in the standings. The matchup pairs the nation's top two scoring defenses in the FBS (the top division of college football): New Mexico allows 10.5 points per game and North Dakota State 11.3. New Mexico also leads the FBS at plus-17 in turnover margin, while the Bison rank eighth at plus-7.
How it unfolded
- Sep 12, 2026North Dakota State won 38-32 at Air Force; New Mexico beat MHU 70-7.
- Sep 19, 2026The Bison won 31-10 at Sacramento State; New Mexico lost 6-14 at Oklahoma.
- Oct 3, 2026North Dakota State shut out Wyoming 28-0; New Mexico beat UTEP 61-7.
- Oct 10, 2026North Dakota State lost 7-13 at UNLV.
- Oct 17, 2026North Dakota State beat Nevada 31-17 behind QB Nathan Hayes and 251 all-purpose yards from Jackson Williams; New Mexico won 21-10 at Hawaii with 243 rushing yards.
- Oct 19, 2026ESPN's pregame listed the Oct. 24 game at 10 p.m. EDT with an opening line of New Mexico by 4.
- Oct 20, 2026NDSU announced the game at University Stadium (37,440) in Albuquerque at 8:10 p.m. MT, televised nationally on The CW.
- Oct 24, 2026Betting lines settled around North Dakota State +4.5 and New Mexico -4.5, with the total near 39.5-40.5; kickoff set for 10 p.m. ET.
Who’s saying what
- Bulls
- Covers analyst Nick Galaida picked North Dakota State +4.5, citing the Bison outgaining opponents in six of seven games and a travel advantage, and took the Under 40.5.
- Analysts
- Sportsbook Wire's Drew Phelps predicted New Mexico 17, North Dakota State 14, passed on the moneyline and bet North Dakota State +4.5.
- Caution
- Action Network's Joshua Nunn picked New Mexico -4.5 and a North Dakota State team total under 18.5, expecting a slow-burning grind.