Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 9:00 PM CT
Location: University Stadium (NM)
TV: FS1
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): UNM -10.5
Over/under: 46.5

The setup

Central Michigan and New Mexico have never played, but their second-year coaches both reached bowls in their first FBS seasons and combined to go 16-10. This is a first meeting between two rebuilds that arrived ahead of schedule.

What I’m watching

The biggest test is whether C Michigan can move the ball without living in third-and-long. Last year, their offense ranked No. 95 nationally at 5.5 yards each time it snapped the ball; New Mexico’s defense ranked No. 49 and allowed only 5.8. 6 starters from the offense and 6 from the defense return.

Personnel snapshot

• Central Michigan: Matt Drinkall enters Year 2 as head coach. 8 starters return—6 on offense and 2 on defense. Key offensive linemen back include Martin Koivisto, Matthew Nehf, and Jacob Russell. That offense averaged 330.5 yards and 22.5 points per game last season.
• Central Michigan quarterback: Central Michigan named Angel Flores its starter in its official Week 1 notes. Last season, he rushed for 527 yards and eight touchdowns while throwing for 195 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
• New Mexico: Jason Eck enters Year 2 as head coach. 14 starters return—8 on offense and 6 on defense. Key offensive linemen back include Malik Aliane, Tyler Lawrence, and Kaden Robnett. The Lobos offense averaged 356.8 yards and 27.1 points per game last season.
• New Mexico quarterback: New Mexico’s official Week 1 depth chart lists James Laubstein, Luke Moga and Toa Fa’avae with an OR designation; it does not name one starter.

Three quick analysis points

• The quarterback angle: New Mexico will start a different opening-day quarterback for the 12th straight season, the longest active streak in the FBS, after last year’s starter needed season-ending elbow surgery. The official depth chart still lists James Laubstein, Luke Moga and Toa Fa’avae as an OR, so Central Michigan is preparing for three different styles instead of one known passer.
• The scoring trend: Central Michigan named Angel Flores its starter after he rushed for 527 yards and eight touchdowns but threw only 28 passes last season. His first Chippewas start turns the quarterback position into another running-back spot against the nation’s most improved 2025 run defense.
• The running-game test: Central Michigan ran on 68.1% of its plays and went 5-1 when it reached 150 rushing yards; New Mexico cut its run allowance from 212.92 to 112.77 yards per game, a 100.15-yard improvement that led the FBS. The Chippewas’ identity runs directly into the Lobos’ biggest transformation.

Prediction

I make final predictions on my TikTok/YouTube/Instagram/Facebook pages @uthinkuknowsports.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.