Even in an era of college football defined by talent acquisition and how deep your boosters’ pockets are, there’s still one reliable thing that can get you wins on Saturdays.

A dang good ball coach.

Colorado State is going to learn that the hard way this Saturday (1 p.m., Altitude) in Albuquerque. 

Even though the Rams were the team that entered the season with a coach in his fourth year, a veteran roster led by a third-year starting quarterback and with sky-high expectations, they’re still over two touchdown underdogs against New Mexico with a first-year coach and a brand new roster. 

Everything about these two teams suggests CSU should be the ones with a 6-3 record and a shot to make the Mountain West title game, while the Lobos should have the 2-7 record and be near the bottom of the conference standings. 

It’s not just about what these two teams looked like coming into this season, either. All time, the Rams are 45-25 against New Mexico, with as many wins against the Lobos in Albuquerque as in Fort Collins. They also have nearly triple the football budget of UNM and aspirations to be one of the premier non-Power 4 programs in the country. But what those aspirations have amounted to this year is a lost season and the mid-season firing of Jay Norvell.

Meanwhile, the team on the other sidelines this weekend has about as bright a future as it’s had in a long time. It doesn’t matter that New Mexico doesn’t exactly have the richest football history, with just one 10-win season, just 13 bowl appearances in over 100 seasons, and the fact that their winningest coach (Rocky Long) had a losing record.

Because now, they have Jason Eck — a dang good ball coach.

In just three seasons at Idaho, Eck went 26-13 with two appearances in the quarterfinal of the FCS playoffs. 

Now, he’s already become the first coach in Lobos history to make a bowl game in his first season after an epic win at UNLV, a team that stomped CSU by 32 points a week ago.

It hasn’t mattered that Eck took over a New Mexico program that had just lost Bronco Mendenhall to Utah State after one season, lost its star offensive coordinator and quarterback to Utah, and a handful of other players from last year’s promising five-win campaign.

Eck isn’t exactly a groundbreaking tactician, either. The Lobos have an offense and a defense that are both middle of the pack in the Mountain West. But the former Wisconsin offensive lineman who cut his teeth for years at the FCS level has gotten his players to buy into playing hard-nosed football and winning at the trenches, something the Rams rarely did under Norvell.

Despite all the resources and support for winning football in Fort Collins, CSU should want what New Mexico has: a coach capable of getting the most out of a team. Because even if you have a successful season like the Rams did last year, you’re bound to have a decent chunk of your roster poached away by the big boys in the Power 4 conferences, and you need to have a coach who can find a way to make it work.

It seems like CSU realizes that, too, with a report this week from well-sourced Oregon columnist John Canzano stating that the Rams have “poked around” Eck, as well as UC Davis coach Tim Plough, in their search to replace Norvell.

That’s not a bad place to start.

Whether it’s Eck or someone else, Fort Collins needs its own dang good ball coach.

King’s 5 Games to Watch

No. 23 Pittsburgh vs. No. 9 Notre Dame (10 a.m. ABC)

One of three teams tied atop the chaotic ACC standings, the Panthers can cement themselves as a true College Football Playoff contender with this season’s signature win against a Fighting Irish team that has been rolling since its 0-2 start. Pitt is as good a bet as any to emerge from the ACC. Then again, this is usually the point of the season when things start to go wrong under coach Pat Narduzzi. 

King’s pick: Notre Dame -12.5

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 11 Oklahoma (1:30 p.m. ABC)

The Crimson Tide hasn’t forgotten what happened the last time they saw the Sooners. Their CFP hopes were dashed around this time last year in Norman when a bad Oklahoma team took it to Kalen DeBoer and Alabama. This time around, the Tide’s playoff hopes are a bit more secure, but it’s the Sooners in desperate need of keeping theirs alive against a much-improved ‘Bama squad.

King’s pick: Alabama -6

No. 17 USC vs. Iowa (1:30 p.m. Big Ten Network)

The Big Ten’s hopes to get four teams in the playoff lie with Lincoln Riley and the Trojans. This game might as well be played at the Rose Bowl this week, but this battle between still-new conference foes will come down to which elite unit bests another. USC’s explosive passing game, led by QB Jayden Maiava, will be put to the test by a typically stout Iowa defense.

King’s pick: Iowa +6.5

No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 10 Texas (5:30 p.m. ABC)

Arch Manning has seemingly turned his (and the Longhorns’) season around after a rough start, as a simplified offense has allowed the sophomore quarterback to thrive during Texas’ four-game winning streak. That culminated with Manning throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in each of his last two games, but this will be a different test entirely against an excellent Georgia defense, even if the stars from the early part of this decade are all gone.

King’s pick: Texas +6.5

No. 12 BYU vs. TCU (8:15 p.m. ESPN)

Texas Tech proved last week with a resounding win over BYU that the Big 12 still runs through Lubbock, but the Cougars still have a path to the conference title game in Dallas. The Horned Frogs don’t after a disappointing loss last week to Iowa State, but they still have what it takes to ruin BYU’s season on a late night in Provo. This game may come down to which quarterback (BYU’s Bear Bachmeier or TCU’s Josh Hoover) has the better performance.

King’s pick: BYU -3.5

King’s YTD record ATS: 31-24 (3-2 last week)

King’s Top 5 Heisman Candidates

Heisman moments don’t get any better than what Mendoza did last week. With his team on the verge of its first loss of the season, Mendoza led the Hoosiers offense 80 yards downfield in the final two minutes and threw a ridiculous touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. with seconds remaining on the clock to snatch a win at Penn State. Even though he hasn’t thrown for over 300 yards in a game in nearly a month, that play has single-handedly made Mendoza the Heisman favorite once again.

2. Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State

Speaking of 300-yard games, however, Sayin continues to rack them up. The Buckeyes’ QB had his third-straight such game last week at Purdue to go with another touchdown pass to star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. With UCLA and Rutgers on the schedule the next two weeks, Sayin will have to wait until the trip to Michigan at the end of the month for his shot at a moment like Mendoza’s last week.

3. Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M

There’s really nothing left for Reed and the Aggies to prove in the regular season. After a second-straight ranked road win, Texas A&M remained undefeated and should have eyes on the game at Texas at the end of the month. Just like Sayin, that will be another chance for Reed to have his Heisman moment — even if he already had a pretty good one at Notre Dame in September.

4. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

With 13 touchdowns in his last eight games, Love just continues to find a way into the end zone as the engine of the Fighting Irish’s offense. If Heisman moments are the theme this week, look for Love to capitalize on his at Pitt as Notre Dame as a team faces its last chance to impress the CFP committee with a signature win.

5. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

Defensive performances like the one the Red Raiders had last week don’t come around often. In a 29-7 dismantling of fellow Big 12 contender BYU, Rodriguez led the way with 14 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery as he continues to be at the forefront of a remarkable defensive turnaround by Texas Tech. That $7 million defensive line may get the headlines, but Rodriguez is the biggest star on that defense.