The Lobos’ football team has taken the field for 94 years, and not once have they entered a season as the betting-odd favorites to win the conference, until now.
After hiring Head Coach Jason Eck, who led the team to just their sixth season with nine or more wins in program history and a trip to the Rate Bowl – their first bowl appearance since 2016 – the Lobos became one of the nation's top stories in all of college football.
“I think we can compete for a conference championship,” Eck said on Josh Pate’s College Football Show. “Every day when I drive in I look up at the back of the press box. We haven’t won a conference championship here since 1964. I really thought coming (to New Mexico) that (it) was my goal to make it where New Mexico is a consistent contender every year.”
It’s safe to say that Eck’s goal is coming to fruition after just one season. Though the Lobos were excluded from playing in the Mountain West Conference Championship due to a four-way tie with Boise State, UNLV, and San Diego State, they proved they belonged.
This was evident well before wrapping up their season in exciting fashion against San Diego State. They marched into Pasadena, California, as 16-point underdogs against UCLA in Week 3, and walked out with their first Power Four conference victory – a dominant one to say the least – since 2008.
“I think that was probably the most impactful thing to kinda get our program turned around was that (UCLA) win,” Eck said on Josh Pate’s College Football Show.
The Lobos may have fallen short in the Rate Bowl, but the team's expectations have only grown since.
For the first time in program history, the Lobos are the odds-on favorites to win the Mountain West Conference heading into fall camp, according to three national sportsbooks; favorited at +200 on Caesar’s Sportsbook and +220 on BetMGM and DraftKings Sportsbook.
This comes after an impressive 9-4 finish last season, while also retaining the second-most returning starters (14) in all of college football for 2026, and a big shakeup within the Mountain West.
One of the league’s long-time powerhouses, Boise State, is heading to the new Pac-12 alongside Colorado State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Utah State. Despite the programs' departures, the Lobos will still be battle-tested en-route to potentially winning a conference championship for the first time in over 60 years.
The Lobos are officially on the radar for not only college football observers, but the NFL as well. This comes after producing just their third NFL draftee since 2018 in Keyshawn James-Newby, another sign the tide is turning at University Stadium.
It’s no secret that expectations are at an all-time high, and Eck believes those expectations should be the norm going forward for New Mexico Football.
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“You want to have high expectations,” Eck said after last month’s spring game. “Ohio State, Michigan and Texas, they never go into a season with tempered expectations. You know that’s what we are trying to build here. We gotta make sure we’re getting everybody’s best shot. I’ll be disappointed if we’re not a conference championship team.”
Eck and the Lobos are 89 days away from kicking off what will be, arguably, the most anticipated season in the program's history. They will look to beat Central Michigan – whom they’ve never played before – and win their 11th season opener since 2003.
Edge Garcia is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @ByEdgeGarcia
