The Lobos will not top the Mountain West’s preseason poll. Nor will they finish second. Or third. Or last.
They won’t finish anywhere at all, actually.
In a break from the norm, the Mountain West announced to voters Monday that it will not release a preseason predicted order of finish this summer “due to conference realignment.”
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The Group of Six league is the latest league to discontinue its preseason poll as five former members depart and three new members – North Dakota State, Northern Illinois and UTEP – join what will be a 10-team league this fall. The Big 12 and Conference USA ended their preseason polls last summer, and the Big Ten has not had a preseason poll for years; CUSA opted to replace its poll with a “bowl confidence index.”
“The membership changes, the unpredictability of the transfer portal, and rapidly changing rosters are the primary reasons for discontinuing the preseason predicted order-of-finish poll,” Mountain West spokesperson Stuart Buchanan said in a statement to the Journal.
While the Mountain West isn’t the first league to scrap its preseason poll, it’s the first to use conference realignment as a primary reason for doing so. Big 12 coaches and administrators also claimed widespread roster turnover led to more inaccurate predictions of team finishes, which they’ve said, despite a lack of evidence, negatively influenced league members’ placement in the College Football Playoff.
Despite discontinuing its preseason poll, the Mountain West is still holding voting among media members for All-Conference teams and preseason Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Year. Selections will be released July 15, the first day of Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas.
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After finishing 9-4 last season, New Mexico was expected to be at or near the top of the league’s predicted order of finish. The Lobos are listed as consensus betting favorites to win their first Mountain West title, which would be the program’s first conference championship since 1964.
Recruiting notes
June continues to be kind to the Lobos on the recruiting front.
Over the last week, UNM added four more commitments to its class of 2027 to bring its total to 18. Some additional information on the Lobos’ latest pledges:
Committed #GoLobos #AGTG pic.twitter.com/UviawuDkU9
— Dontae Moore (@DontaeMoore_) June 26, 2026
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CB Dontae Moore
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound cornerback committed to UNM over offers from Wake Forest, Appalachian State, Florida International and Georgia State. He made 24 total tackles and one interception as a junior last season at New Manchester (Georgia) High School.
IM HOME! Thank you God!#commited #golobos @Carson_Walch @Coach_Eck @Coach_KMcDonald @SkysTheLimitWR @CoachHarris_LR @LakeRidgeFB @CoachKirkThor @adamgorney @MikeRoach247 @ChadSimmons_ @samspiegs @GPowersScout @Matt_Stepp817 @CKennedy247 pic.twitter.com/rU7oeX3GZ1
— Jayden “Uno” Evans (@jay3vans_) June 26, 2026
WR Jayden Evans
The 6-0, 175-pound receiver chose UNM over offers from San Diego State, Navy, Tulane and Kent State. He caught 35 passes for 761 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior last season at Mansfield Lake Ridge (Texas) High School.
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Excited and truly blessed to announce that I’ve committed to playing college football @UNMLoboFB. Thank you to all the coaching staff and especially @Coach_Eck and @natep4! They are truly building something special there and can’t wait to be apart of it! Go Lobos!!! pic.twitter.com/Ak2R6yvJuQ
— Benjamin Wiepert (@Ben_Wiepert) June 24, 2026
S Benjamin Wiepert
The 6-2, 205-pound safety chose UNM over offers from Boise State, UNLV, Colorado State and Idaho. He made 127 total tackles as a junior last season at Wilsonville (Oregon) High School.
COMMITTED @UNMLoboFB @Coach_Eck @LoniFangupo @coach_nowinsky @mwscarletfb @247Sports #golobos pic.twitter.com/p56nF1TFsF
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— Hudson Clarksean ‘27 (@HudsonClarksean) June 25, 2026
LB Hudson Clarksean
The 6-1, 215-pound linebacker chose UNM over offers from Minnesota State-Mankato and Sioux Falls.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.
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