With three weeks left in the regular season, the Mountain West championship race is coming into focus. But with conference title hopes, bowl eligibility, and plenty of pride on the line, November promises to deliver more than a few surprises.
By Roger A. Holien | Mountain West Connection
November 8, 2026 | Mountain West Football
November football is here, and the stakes keep rising every Saturday in the Mountain West.
Some teams are chasing a conference championship. Others are fighting to become bowl-eligible.
And a few are simply hoping to salvage something positive from a season that hasn’t gone according to plan.
And then there are the New Mexico Lobos.
Head coach Jason Eck has New Mexico sitting alone atop the Mountain West standings at 8-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in conference play. The Lobos have become one of college football’s most compelling turnaround stories, bringing excitement, confidence, and national attention to a program that has spent years searching for sustained success.
But nobody is handing New Mexico a championship just yet.
Wyoming isn’t going away quietly. North Dakota State has already made plenty of noise in its first FBS season, while Air Force and UNLV still have opportunities to shake up the conference race.
With three weeks remaining, the new-look Mountain West has plenty of unfinished business.
Mountain West Standings Entering Week 11
Through games of November 7, 2026 — standings supplied in the draft
*NDSU’s postseason eligibility during its FBS transition needs confirmation. Other bowl statuses reflect the standard six-win benchmark, subject to NCAA rules. Source: Mountain West Conference standings, as provided in the draft.
New Mexico: The Lobos Control Their Own Destiny
What Jason Eck and his coaching staff have accomplished in Albuquerque deserves recognition well beyond the Mountain West and has caught the attention of of national media, its that impressive.
After leading New Mexico to an impressive nine-win season in 2025, Eck has kept the momentum rolling. The Lobos have developed an identity built around physical football, defensive toughness, and a belief that they can line up against just about anybody.
And they’ve done it despite some serious adversity.
Losing starting quarterback Jack Layne to a season-ending injury could have derailed this team. Instead, the Lobos have continued finding ways to win.
Offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner and Defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky deserve plenty of credit for building a team that understands the importance of complementary football.
Running back Scottre Humphrey has provided a reliable offensive weapon, while New Mexico’s defense has consistently made life miserable for opposing offenses.
The Lobos aren’t always flashy, but they play hard, create opportunities, and have shown they know how to finish games; they play lights out, don’t turn the ball over, and play excellent as a team.
Now comes the stretch that could define their season.
New Mexico hosts UNLV on November 14, travels to Wyoming on November 20, and closes the regular season against Air Force at University Stadium on November 27.
Win all three, and the Lobos finish conference play undefeated, putting themselves in a strong position to host the Mountain West Championship Game.
For longtime Lobo fans, that’s a pretty remarkable conversation to be having in November.
Wyoming: The Cowboys Are Making Their Move
If there’s one team New Mexico can’t afford to overlook, it’s Wyoming, especially after what they did to UNLV in Vegas at Allegiant Stadium.
The Cowboys have quietly put together one of the conference’s more impressive stretches, improving to 6-3 overall and 5-1 in Mountain West play after Saturday night’s thrilling 41-35 victory over UNLV.
And what a finish it was.
With the Rebels threatening to score in the final minute, Tyson Shamsid-Deen made a huge interception in the end zone to preserve the victory.
That’s the kind of play that can change the direction of a season.
Wyoming has now won four straight games and reached bowl eligibility for the first time since 2023.
More importantly, the Cowboys have positioned themselves as New Mexico’s biggest challenger in the conference standings.
Wyoming still has to take care of business against UTEP, but if the Cowboys handle the Miners, their November 20 showdown with New Mexico in Laramie could have enormous championship implications.
A cold November night in Wyoming with a conference title potentially hanging in the balance?
That’s Mountain West football at its best.
North Dakota State: The Bison Have Made Their Presence Felt
Anyone who thought North Dakota State would struggle to compete in its first FBS season might want to reconsider.
The Bison are 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Mountain West play, proving that the winning culture they established at the FCS level didn’t disappear when they moved up.
North Dakota State has brought its trademark physicality, discipline, and toughness into a conference that already has its share of hard-nosed football programs.
And the Bison haven’t backed down.
Losses to New Mexico and UNLV have complicated their championship hopes, but North Dakota State remains a team nobody should take lightly.
The Bison close their regular season against Hawai‘i, Northern Illinois, and San José State.
A 10-2 finish is certainly within reach.
Whether that’s enough to get them into the conference championship picture will depend on what happens elsewhere.
But one thing is already clear: North Dakota State hasn’t needed much time to establish itself as a legitimate Mountain West competitor.
Air Force and UNLV: Two Programs with Something to Prove
Don’t forget about Air Force.
Head coach Troy Calhoun has the Falcons sitting at 7-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play, with bowl eligibility already secured.
Air Force remains one of the league’s most disciplined programs, and the Falcons have opportunities to improve their postseason position.
They host San José State and UTEP before traveling to Albuquerque for their regular-season finale against New Mexico.
That Thanksgiving weekend matchup could have major implications, especially if the Lobos enter the game still unbeaten in conference play.
Meanwhile, UNLV finds itself in a much more uncomfortable position.
The Rebels are 5-4 overall and 3-2 in Mountain West play following Saturday’s loss to Wyoming.
One more victory gets UNLV to the traditional six-win bowl benchmark, but the rest of the schedule won’t make it easy.
The Rebels travel to New Mexico, face San José State, and finish against Nevada.
UNLV has enough talent to give just about anybody problems, but the margin for error in the conference title race has become razor-thin.
Still, the Rebels have an opportunity to make a statement against the league-leading Lobos.
And New Mexico had better be ready.
San José State, Nevada, and Hawai‘i: Fighting for December Football
For San José State, the mission is simple: find one more win.
The Spartans improved to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play following Saturday’s 30-19 victory over Northern Illinois.
That puts them within striking distance of bowl eligibility, but the road ahead isn’t exactly inviting.
San José State still has Air Force, UNLV, and North Dakota State on the schedule.
All three can make life difficult for the Spartans.
Nevada and Hawai‘i face even steeper climbs.
Both programs are 3-6 overall, meaning they must win their final three games to reach the traditional six-win bowl benchmark.
Nevada closes against Northern Illinois, Hawai‘i, and UNLV.
Hawai‘i, coming off a 17-14 victory over UTEP, must navigate North Dakota State, Nevada, and Sacramento State.
Neither path looks easy.
But it is November, and strange things happen when teams fight to keep their seasons alive.
A team with nothing to lose can sometimes become the most dangerous opponent on the schedule.
UTEP and Northern Illinois: Building Toward the Future
It’s been a rough introduction to Mountain West football for UTEP and Northern Illinois.
The Miners sit at 1-8, while the Huskies remain winless at 0-9.
Neither team can reach the traditional six-win bowl benchmark, leaving both programs searching for positives over the final few weeks.
Their November 28 meeting gives one team a chance to finish conference play with a much-needed win.
For both coaching staffs, the remaining games are also about evaluating younger players, identifying building blocks, and figuring out what needs to change heading into 2027.
Nobody enjoys rebuilding seasons, especially when the losses keep piling up.
But how a program responds to adversity can tell you plenty about where it’s headed.
Key Remaining Mountain West Matchups
These games could shape the final conference standings and determine which teams are still playing meaningful football in December.
New Mexico controls its own destiny, but the road to a conference championship still runs through some dangerous opponents.
Wyoming appears to have the clearest opportunity to challenge the Lobos, particularly with their head-to-head matchup looming in Laramie.
North Dakota State needs to keep winning and hope the teams ahead of it stumble.
Air Force and UNLV could play spoiler, while San José State, Nevada, and Hawai‘i are still fighting for their postseason lives.
There’s a lot more at stake than just wins and losses.
Final Thoughts: A Conference With Plenty Left to Prove
The Mountain West has gone through major changes, including a dramatically different membership lineup in 2026.
But one thing hasn’t changed.
This conference still produces competitive football, memorable finishes, and teams that can surprise people who don’t pay much attention to what happens outside the Power Four.
Wyoming is surging. North Dakota State has shown it belongs. Air Force remains dangerous, and both UNLV and San José State are one victory away from reaching the six-win mark.
But for New Mexico, this season represents something even bigger.
Jason Eck and his staff have taken a program that struggled for years to find consistency and turned it into a legitimate conference championship contender, but as he reminds his team throughout the year, “You’re only one game from being humbled”
That’s no small accomplishment.
For those who have followed Lobo football through the good years, the frustrating seasons, the coaching changes, and the rebuilding efforts, it’s hard not to appreciate what is happening in Albuquerque.
A renewed sense of excitement surrounds this program, and the players have earned every bit of it.
Still, championships aren’t handed out in early November.
They’re earned when the pressure rises, the weather gets colder, and every possession seems to matter just a little bit more.
And if there’s one thing longtime Mountain West fans understand, it’s that November has a way of humbling even the most confident teams.
The standings tell us who’s leading today.
The next three weeks will tell us who’s still standing when it matters most, there is so much left to be played and so much that can turn for the top teams, no room for error at this point.
