New Mexico’s Saturday night to remember was more than just a new highlight for the program.
After taking down Mountain West threat North Dakota State, murmurs and conversations have begun: Can the Lobos be the G5 CFP Bid?
To do so, they will have to try to trump the season-long favorite for the position: the PAC-12’s Boise State Broncos.
Once a conference battle on the gridiron is now just a conference v. conference comparison of resumes, which raises the question: what if the Lobos and Broncos did play this year?
Here’s how the two teams stack up against one another:
Head Coach: New Mexico
Spencer Danielson is a high-quality coach, leading the Broncos to a CFP berth in 2024. But it is tough to stand across from a name such as Jason Eck, who could very well find himself at a Power Four job sooner rather than later.
Boise State was a Group of Five winner long before Danielson took over as head coach, while New Mexico was anything but. Eck helped take a program that wasn’t just dead, but never truly alive, to never-before-seen heights.
It’s close, but the edge goes to Eck.
Quarterback: Boise State
The quarterback situation for New Mexico has been less than ideal, losing Jack Layne and James Laubstein in recent months. Weathering the storm, sophomore Toa Fa’avae has done a great job since winning the starting gig in late September.
However, Boise State QB Maddux Madsen brings veteran leadership and experience to the table that Fa’avae cannot.
Madsen has already been a part of a CFP-bound team, looking to do it once again with 14 touchdowns and 1,445 passing yards so far in 2026.
Offense: Toss-Up?
These two teams have similar offensive numbers, holding the same offensive values.
Two run-heavy offenses that both average over 210 rushing yards a game. New Mexico has a higher points-per-game average (37.0 vs. 34.4), but the Broncos lead in just about every other statistical category.
UNM’s Scottre Humphrey and Kiefer Sibley and Boise’s Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines provide their respective teams 1-2 punches, with an emphasis on punch.
I would say Boise has the slight edge just from their quarterback play, but these offenses remain very similar.
Defense: New Mexico
Defense has been at the forefront of the Lobos’ success this year, including a game-breaking pick-six vs. NDSU to help seal the deal.
UNM has held its opponents to an average of 11.3 points per game, about two touchdowns lower than Boise (24.8).
In yards allowed per game, the Lobos have allowed 261 per game, about a football field less than Boise as well (350).
Special Teams: Boise State
The Broncos hold a 90.9% field goal percentage, compared to UNM’s 66.7%.
Two missed field goals were actually the main thorn in the Lobos’ side on Saturday night, almost costing them the lead against the Bison.
Jason Eck even went on to say that New Mexico would be having kicking and punting competitions in practice this week.
“Those two field goals, we gotta hit one of them,” Eck said in his weekly press conference.
As of now, if there is a kick with the game on the line, the blue turf crew looks to have the upper hand.
Let’s Go To The Super Computer…
If we take our findings to “The Super Computer” (NCAA College Football 27 on Xbox), we can get a look at what a Lobos-Broncos matchup would look like.
Set in a neutral setting inside a dome, here is what we found…
Boise State 40, New Mexico 16
Boise’s versatile offense led the way, with QB Maddux Madsen throwing for 241 yards and two touchdowns and RB Dylan Riley rushing for 137 yards and one score.
Meanwhile, the one-dimensional setup of New Mexico’s offense hurt them. RB Scottre Humphrey was held to just 68 yards and one score, making QB Toa Fa’avae throw more, struggling with two interceptions on the day.
UNM kicker Grant Glasgow went 1-for-2 on field goals, while Boise kicker Canaan Moore went a perfect 4-for-4.
Humphrey would also fumble in the contest, as the Lobos lost the turnover battle (3-0).
Would this matchup play out exactly like this if we ran it again? Probably not. But for now, we can crown the Broncos the Hypothetical Champions of the World (or internet).