Around The Mtn: Lobos, Bison Battle For Top Spot

LAS VEGAS, Nev., -- Here is your latest news and notes from around the Mountain West Conference:

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A new look Mountain West opens the 28th football season for the Conference, welcoming NIU, North Dakota State and UTEP.
Air Force, New Mexico and North Dakota State all have just one loss this season. No other non-A4 conference has more than one such team this season.
ESPN's SP+ ratings rank two Conference programs (New Mexico and North Dakota State) among the top three non-A4 teams nationally, including New Mexico which is second among all non-A4 programs at No. 30 in SP+ rankings, and NDSU, which is third, at No. 35. The MW is the only Non-A4 conference with multiple teams in the top 3.
The Mountain West has six teams with an overall record greater than .500, more teams than C-USA and Pac-12.
The MW is tied for most victories over Autonomous 4 opponents amongst non-A4 conferences, and more than Pac-12, Sun Belt and C-USA.
Three MW teams (Air Force, New Mexico and North Dakota State) are receiving votes in the national polls, the most national recognition among non-Autonomous 4 conferences.
The Mountain West has had at least one team nationally ranked in each season since the league was formed in 1999, including multiple teams in eight of the last 10 years.
The MW is well represented on all national award preseason watch lists, including six standouts on the Maxwell Award Watch List. The six honorees are the most selections among non-autonomous 4 conferences.
New Mexico is riding a 10-game home win streak, tied for the seventh-longest active streak nationally. The Lobos haven't suffered a loss at University Stadium since Nov. 2, 2024 (45-49 vs. Wyoming).
New Mexico is one of two FBS teams to have multiple games scoring at least 60 points this season (along with top-ranked Georgia). The Lobos are the first MW team to have multiple 60-point games in a single season since 2018.
New Mexico held then-nationally ranked Oklahoma to just 14 points on Sept. 19. That was the fewest allowed by a MW school on the road against a ranked Autonomous-4 opponent since TCU on Sept. 3, 2005, also against the Sooners (10).
North Dakota State is the only program in the last 45 seasons to win its first five games as a full-fledged FBS team.
North Dakota State has five wins by at least 14 points this season, tied for the most in the FBS. The only other G6 program with that many in 2026 is Oregon State.
New Mexico (10.5) and North Dakota State (11.3) rank first and second in the FBS for fewest points allowed per game this season. The Mountain West has never finished a season with two teams in the top five in the category.
The MW has had at least one 10-win team in 24 of 26 seasons, not including the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
Looking ahead to December, if UNLV qualifies for the MW Football Championship Game, the Rebels would become just the second program ever to participate in at least three consecutive MW title games (Boise State, four straight appearances between 2017-20).