← Matchups

New Mexico State

CUSA · 1-2 · power -0.6 · #187
Our numberFIU -7.9 no book has priced this game

Florida International

CUSA · 1-1 · power +5.3 · #119
Our side
MoneylineFIU to win ours 68%
Projected score 22–30 NMSU – FIU
2026-10-07 · 7:30 PM Pitbull Stadium · Miami, FL CUSA game Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series New Mexico State and Florida International split 4 (2–2) · 4 meetings since 2004
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Florida International Panthers 123 ranks
New Mexico State Aggies #262 rush offense Florida International Panthers #139 run defense
Pass game even 20 ranks apart
New Mexico State Aggies #191 pass offense Florida International Panthers #171 pass defense
Run game even 29 ranks apart
Florida International Panthers #69 rush offense New Mexico State Aggies #40 run defense
Pass game even 21 ranks apart
Florida International Panthers #162 pass offense New Mexico State Aggies #141 pass defense
New Mexico State Aggies Balanced · 47% run Avg pace Florida International Panthers Balanced · 56% run Ball-control
Tony Sanchez · 27-57 · defense-minded Willie Simmons · 7-6

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
New Mexico State Aggies
DB Nick Session 21 tkl · 1 PD · 1 INT #19 DB
DL Gabe Peterson 13 tkl · 1.5 sacks · 2.0 TFL #63 DL
WR TK King 14 rec · 239 yds · 2 TD #48 WR
RB James Jones 243 rush yds · 2 TD · 4 rec #43 RB
Florida International Panthers
DL Elisha Baldridge 11 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 4.0 TFL #26 DL
WR Maguire Anderson 13 rec · 186 yds · 2 TD #34 WR
DL DeeJay Holmes Jr. 7 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #81 DL
WR Jojo Stone 9 rec · 141 yds · 1 TD #146 WR

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
New Mexico State AggiesCUSA -0.6 -0.7 +0.1 #187
Florida International PanthersCUSA +5.3 -0.2 +5.5 #119

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
New Mexico State offense vs Florida International defense-6.2 pts
Florida International offense vs New Mexico State defense-0.3 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 1,651 mi
Altitude · context only1,206 m lower than the visitor's home elevation
Rest · context onlyHome team on 5 more days rest

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.