Before the season gets underway, what’s the first guess on what the 2024 Isleta New Mexico Bowl might be? Why did we make this call, who else should be in the mix, and what’s the history of the bowl?
This will all change throughout the season with its twists and turns, but in the preseason, the Isleta New Mexico Bowl projection is …
Isleta New Mexico Bowl Projection
Saturday, December 28
2:15, ESPN
University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Bowl Affiliations : AAC, MW, CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt
Last Season: Fresno State 37, New Mexico State 10
Preseason Bowl Projection (with predicted final regular season records)
North Texas (6-6) vs Air Force (9-3)
Why this is the preseason Isleta New Mexico Bowl Projection
Assume there won’t be any Conference USA teams available, and also assume the bowl would like someone slightly bigger than a midrange MAC team.
The Mountain West is a mortal lock, and there will be plenty of options to choose from. Some MW teams will likely be left out of a bowl spot with so many Power Four programs likely to be forced in, so a star like Air Force would be a premium get.
North Texas was in this in 2018 – and got walloped by Utah State 52-13. It might not be the strongest of all-around matchups, but the idea would that Air Force is the draw, at least from the TV audience.