Wolf Pack notes: Nevada football to host first ranked team since 2015 in Friday showcase - Nevada Sports Net
By Google News Sports ·
For the first time in 11 seasons, Nevada will welcome a Top 25 team to Mackay Stadium. No. 22 New Mexico, which is ranked for the first time in school history, will face the Wolf Pack in Reno on Friday night. The last ranked team to play at Mackay Stadium was Arizona in 2015. The No. 22-ranked Wildcats won, 44-20, before finishing the season 7-6. Nevada is 3-12 all-time against ranked teams at home, with its most recent home win over a Top 25 foe coming against No. 3 Boise State, 34-31, in overtime on Nov. 26, 2010. New Mexico enters this game 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Mountain West. The Lobos have won 10 straight conference games, a streak that started with a 24-22 win over Nevada on Oct. 18, 2025. Wolf Pack coach Jeff Choate was complimentary of New Mexico but said the team's ranking doesn't mean much when the teams hit the field. "I don't care about the rankings," Choate said. "That's totally irrelevant. It wouldn't matter if we were playing Reno High. We've got to get this win. Ask anybody, do they want to be ranked right now? It's not a great place to live. I think it's good for the Mountain West conference, it's good for the University of New Mexico and it creates a little bit more buzz around the game on Friday night. Probably really good for the fans. But not something we put a lot of thought into." A Friday showcase Nevada will play its lone Friday game this season when it hosts New Mexico. Choate said there's an added sense of urgency when you have one less day to prepare for a game. Choate said he's fine with playing Friday games, although he did express disappointment it overlaps with high school regional semifinals on the same day. "I don't have a problem with playing games at other times," Choate said. "I think there's an opportunity to showcase some…
Originally published by Google News Sports
