Once in the shadow of basketball, New Mexico football jumps into the AP Top 25 for the first time

For decades, the modestly sized but fervently loyal crew of University of New Mexico sports fans endured the same ritual. With the scent of grilled green chiles still wafting from tailgate parties outside, they would file into the football stadium, find their seats and gaze longingly across University Boulevard, toward the arena called The Pit.

As any true Lobos fan would attest, it was never too soon to start counting the days until basketball season arrived.

These days, though, hoops can wait.

Led by a vagabond of a coach in Jason Eck — a fan-friendly figure in his second season at UNM who's not above playing the role of “ Jeff Tickets ” for a sales promotion designed to put a few butts in the seats — football is making waves in Albuquerque. This week, the Lobos cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time ever, coming in at No. 22.

A program that produced Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher and lured coaches like Marv Levy and Dennis Franchione to New Mexico's biggest city now has its most complete program in a while.

“I’m happy for our fans. It’s something for them to get excited about,” Eck said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s something that’s motivating — trying to do things that haven’t been done in a long time.”

Or ever.

Football at the school traces back to Oct. 7, 1892, two full decades before New Mexico became the 47th state. Maybe it was a sign, but the team referred to as “The University Boys” — ”Lobos" came along years later — fell 5-0 to Albuquerque High School.

Since that day, they've appeared in 14 bowl games and had 67 players drafted into the NFL. In comparison, Alabama has had 63 players drafted this decade.

New Mexico has been a launching pad, or stopping point, for head coaches such as Levy, Franchione (who later coached 'Bama), all-time wins leader Rocky Long and Bronco Mendenhall , whose departure for Utah State opened the door for Eck's arrival.

Through it all, they've turned in just one 10-win season — in 1982 under Joe Morrison — and haven't won an outright conference title since 1964.

But Eck has the Lobos (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) on the path toward both. They’ve won 11 straight at home – one with Mendenhall and 10 under Eck – for their longest streak since 1926-28.

And sparked by Eck’s mustache-wearing “Jeff Tickets” character, the Lobos drew 34,794 fans for a win over North Dakota State last month. It was the school’s largest home crowd since 2005 against any team other than downstate rival New Mexico State.

“It's an amazing time to be a fan. This is territory we’ve never been in, honestly,” Urlacher said. "There’s no way that anyone saw this coming. Just another tribute to Eck and what he’s done with the program.”

Eck said he hadn't set foot in Albuquerque before his introductory news conference in December 2024.

It's a metro area of about 1 million that hosts a world-renowned balloon fiesta every fall and gained some sort of fame as the home of drug kingpin Walter White in the acclaimed TV drama “Breaking Bad.”

As far as sports go in a city with no big-time pro teams within 400 miles — it's all about UNM, the oft-overlooked underdog.

To wit: For all the great Lobo hoops players who suited up in The Pit — think Mel Daniels, Michael Cooper, Kenny Thomas and Luc Longley — the single greatest sports moment to happen there happened to Cinderella. Albuquerque is where North Carolina State won the national title in 1983, where Jim Valvano ran around looking for someone to hug and where the NCAA Tournament became March Madness — and proved that in sports, anything is possible.

Even for Lobos football?

New Mexico approached Eck when he was at Idaho. He said he was sold on the job because of its fan base and the leadership at the school, which included AD Fernando Lovo , who has since moved to Colorado. He also thought conference realignment, with a chunk of the Mountain West Conference (think Boise State) moving to the Pac-12, gave UNM a chance to be a league leader.

With a win Friday at Nevada, the Lobos can move to 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 1970.

“My reminder to all of our players is that college football is very fluid right now for players or coaches,” said Eck, the former Wisconsin offensive lineman who also has stops at Western Illinois, Minnesota State, Montana State and South Dakota State on his resume. “The best thing we can do is stay in the moment and keep focusing on whatever our task is that day.”

The 49-year-old coach loves spoofs. He’s all about social media engagement, too — not a bad recruiting tool in a world of NIL at a smaller school where cash doesn't flow as freely.

Last season, Eck played himself in a parody of “ The Office .” Acting on instructions he misheard from his athletic director, Eck mistakenly offered a classroom full of kids free tuition when all he was supposed to offer was tickets to a football game. Eck had to break the news about his mistake to the kids, who, it turns out, really just wanted the tickets.

“Am I a hero?” Eck said in the video. “I really can’t say that. But yes.”

Nobody's arguing.

Urlacher recalled going to a practice in August 2025 to check out the squad.

His initial assessment: "I guess I’m used to being around NFL guys, but I didn’t see the size,” Urlacher said. “But it didn’t matter. Because they play so hard for him.”

Linebacker Mercury Swaim suited up at Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania before Eck brought him to town.

“It means a lot to have a guy who believes in you,” Swaim said. “He just means the world to me.”

Eck took the job thinking his way of doing things would kick in during Year 2.

Instead, it was his third game — a 35-10 win over UCLA in the Rose Bowl — that made the program feel ahead of schedule.

At New Mexico, where they forgive but don't always forget, the name “UCLA” harkens back to 2013: That's when hoops coach Steve Alford's decided to leave The Pit to coach at Pauley Pavilion.

So, even though it was a football game, "the UCLA win really got our fan base’s attention,” Eck said.

More wins followed. The Lobos were 9-4 last season and went to a bowl game. Heading into the homestretch of what could be an historic 2026, Eck insists it's about more than one win — or one week in the Top 25.

“We’re not going to get rings that say, ’Ranked in Week 9, No. 22,'" Eck said. "It’s just a reminder that we’re doing some things right.”

Retired AP Sports Writer Pete Herrera in Albuquerque contributed.

https://apnews.com/hub/college-football