The No. 24 Oklahoma Sooners host the New Mexico Lobos in a Week 3 college football matchup at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Financial Realities and Scheduling Squeezes Behind the Norman Matchup
Playing a game at No. 24 Oklahoma nets the New Mexico athletic department a substantial $1.6 million payday, according to a contract between the two schools reviewed by the Journal. Signed back in November 2019, the agreement for the contest at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium required a partial payment of $250,000 to be wired to UNM before April 21, 2021. The agreement also allotted 400 complimentary tickets to the visitors, with UNM Athletic Director Ryan Berryman noting that the university sold out an additional 800 purchased tickets ahead of kickoff.
For Group of Six conference programs like the Lobos, these guarantee games serve as an annual financial staple, trading a likely defeat on the road for a guaranteed lump sum. Yet acquiring these lucrative matchups is becoming increasingly complex.
Conference Realignment and the Inventory Crunch for Group of Six Teams
The shrinking window for guarantee games stems directly from broader structural shifts across college football. Three major Power Four conferences—the Big Ten, the Big 12, and the SEC—already operate under nine-game conference schedules, effectively eliminating dozens of nonconference slots once available to Mountain West and Conference USA programs. The Atlantic Coast Conference plans to implement a nine-game schedule in 2027, further squeezing available inventory.
Athletic departments are actively tracking these transformations.
We are continuing to monitor the ongoing schedule changes occurring across college football as College Football Playoff expansion, conference realignment and changing conference scheduling models loom.
Ryan Berryman, UNM Athletic Director
Entering Week 3: Oklahoma Looks to Bounce Back While New Mexico Rolls In
On the field, the Sooners enter the contest looking to recover from a hard-fought 17-10 road loss against Michigan last Saturday. That defeat followed an opening-week 51-0 shutout of UTEP. Quarterback John Mateer aims to sharpen his precision after throwing an interception in Ann Arbor, drawing early scrutiny from home crowds as Oklahoma prepares for a gauntlet that includes impending matchups against Georgia, Texas, and an unranked Kentucky side that recently upset Texas A&M 31-21.
New Mexico arrives in Norman carrying a 2-0 record, highlighted by success against Mercyhurst and Central Michigan. Television coverage shifts dynamically across networks, beginning on ESPNEWS before transferring over to ESPN2 once the Florida State-Alabama game concludes.
The Shifting Landscape of College Football Scheduling Models
The current scheduling model employed in Albuquerque reflects a delicate balancing act.
- Scheduling one Football Championship Subdivision opponent at home
- Securing a guarantee game with a Power Four opponent on the road
Beyond regular-season scheduling, broader structural changes loom over athletic administration. As television rights, playoff expansion talks, and conference mandates continue to evolve, mid-major athletic departments face an increasingly narrow path to securing the million-dollar paydays necessary to fund their broader athletic programs.
