Rate Bowl Total Has Fallen A Bit Too Far

New Mexico vs. Minnesota, 4:30 ET

I have some good news, and I have some bad news. Let's start with the bad news. The bad news is that I am not going to continue the march towards writing an article for every single bowl game. I looked at the schedule, and it just won't work with the other commitments and what needs to be covered. The good news is, I am still going to provide some plays for games, and may even try to write one article covering each game. So, some articles might have two or three plays rather than focus on just one game. For today, I'm skipping the opener and going with the second game on the docket as New Mexico takes on Minnesota in the Rate Bowl.

New Mexico put together a nice campaign and is looking to cap it off here with a win. They were 9-3 for the season, but did they really play anyone of significance? There were a couple of teams on the schedule that were at least decent. They lost their first game of the season as they had to head to Michigan. The Wolverines proved too much for the Lobos and dropped them 34-17. In what might be one of their more impressive wins, they went on the road to UCLA and beat the Bruins 35-10. Their other two losses were conference losses as they fell to San Jose State and Boise State in back-to-back weeks, both road games as well. Since that point, they ended the season with six straight wins, with them being a mixture of dominant and close games. It appears that the Lobos will have all of their key players, with no one significant missing the game that hasn't already missed time for New Mexico.

Nov 22, 2025; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; New Mexico Lobos players celebrate after the game against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Minnesota had a bit of a tougher year in terms of their record, but in fairness to them, they also had a tougher schedule. They opened their seasons with fairly easy victories over Buffalo and Northwestern State. Their first loss came at the hands of California as they had to travel to play them. After beating Rutgers in grind-it-out game, they were demolished by Ohio State. Another two wins over Purdue and Nebraska took them to a showdown with Iowa. It appears that the Golden Gophers barely bothered getting off of the bus for that one as they fell 41-3. They beat Michigan State in overtime, then lost their next two games as they were blown out by Oregon, and loss a tough one to Northwestern 38-35. All of their losses came on the road, for whatever that is worth to you. Their final game was against Wisconsin and they did win that one. They are going to not have their second leading rusher in this one, and they will be missing two lower-level wide receivers.

The Golden Gophers missing their second leading running back sounds bad, but the reality is that a lot of running backs, aside from the truly elite, are interchangable. So, I look at this team as basically full strength. When they lose, they tend to lose badly, but I don't think New Mexico can be put in the same category as Oregon, Ohio State, or even Iowa. I do think they are live dogs, but that's not saying much as this has already dropped to be about a pick'em. I think the total has dropped too much at this point, though. Back over 42.5 in this one. Both have capable offenses and defenses that are adequate but won't completely shut anyone down. 

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