New Mexico Lobos (1-1) vs. UCLA Bruins (0-2)
September 12, 2025 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: UCLA Bruins -14.5 ; Over/Under: 55.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The New Mexico Lobos and the UCLA Bruins meet Friday in college football action from the Rose Bowl. Here’s a UCLA vs New Mexico prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UCLA vs New Mexico pick.
New Mexico Lobos Betting Preview
This year the Lobos kicked off their campaign with a tricky matchup versus Michigan on August 30. New Mexico was within 10 points by the end of the third quarter, behind 27-17. After a 7-0 deficit from there, the Lobos ended up falling 34-17. QB Jack Layne had a pretty rough day despite a solid 31-of-47 passing, posting 208 yards, one score and three interceptions. Scottre Humphrey was the team’s leading rusher with 10 carries for 33 yards. Damon Bankston added four carries for 18 yards, and Dorian Thomas provided a bright spot among receivers with 10 catches for 71 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
In game two versus Idaho State last weekend, the Lobos held a 17-16 lead going into the fourth quarter. New Mexico was able to outscore the Bengals 15-6 the rest of the way during a 32-22 victory. This time Layne had 155 yards on 13-of-21 passing with a rush score, and Humphrey logged 18 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns. DJ McKinney carried seven times for 45 yards as well. Receiving-wise, Thomas caught five balls for 56 yards to lead the team. Bankston had one 55-yard catch and also carried six times for 28 yards and a score in a nice all-around day for him numbers-wise.
UCLA Bruins Betting Preview
Over on the Bruins’ side, they opened up their 2025 season with a tough matchup as well, taking on the Utah Utes at the Rose Bowl. UCLA gave up points in every quarter during that game, eventually taking a 43-10 defeat after a 20-3 deficit in the second half. Quarterback Nico Iameleava went 11-of-22 for 136 yards, one touchdown and one interception while also leading the rushing attack on 13 carries for 47 yards. Jaivian Thomas had seven carries for 17 yards as well. Tops among receivers was Anthony Woods with his three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown in the blowout defeat.
Matched up against UNLV in their second outing of the season last Saturday, UCLA took a 23-3 deficit into the locker room. The Bruins got better in the second half with a 20-7 run but still took the defeat 30-23 in the end. Iamaleava was 29-of-41 in the loss with 255 yards, one TD and one interception while also leading the rushing attack with 11 carries for 59 yards and another touchdown. Thomas toted five times for 43 yards, while Kwazi Gilmer led the receivers with his eight catches for 87 yards.
UCLA Bruins Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 3, Anthony Woods ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
New Mexico Lobos Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 3, Jaxton Eck leads the Mountain West Conference for forced fumbles (1) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- UCLA ranks T1st among FBS teams for red zone percentage this season (100.0).
- UCLA ranks 134th among FBS teams for average point differential in first quarters this season (-11.5).
- New Mexico ranks T115th among FBS teams for red zone percentage this season (66.7).
- New Mexico ranks T111th among FBS teams for H1 opponent points per game this season (17.0).
UCLA vs New Mexico Prediction
I’ll lean toward UCLA, but this should be a pretty interesting matchup. A few things killed the Bruins during their matchup with UCLA last weekend. It was a sloppy game overall, with UCLA contributing 14 of the 27 total penalties. The two turnovers and 3-of-13 rate on third-down conversions didn’t help matters either. Granted, it was against a lesser team but it was an improvement over the opener matchup with Utah. In that game with the Utes the Bruins could muster just 220 yards total (136 passing) and a 2-of-11 success rate on third-down tries. There’s plenty to clean up on both sides of the ball, but if UCLA is careful I think they’ll match up well with the Lobos.
Speaking of New Mexico, they rushed very well (216 yards) in their win over Idaho State while also benefitting from the Bengals nine penalties for 99 yards. Defensively the Lobos couldn’t get off the field well enough (8-of-15 on third-down stops) so that could be an issue here. It’s debatable, though.
