It's game week. Here's everything you need to know about New Mexico's game at No. 14 Michigan

Everything you need to know about New Mexico’s season-opener at Michigan:

Who: No. 14 Michigan vs. UNM.

When and where: 5:30 p.m. MT Saturday at Michigan Stadium — colloquially known as the “Big House” — in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

How to watch/listen: NBC will carry Michigan-UNM with Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sidelines) on the call. Robert Portnoy (play-by-play) and DonTrell Moore (analyst) will broadcast the game via radio on the Lobo Radio Network (770 AM/96.3 FM).

Who’s favored: Michigan is a 34.5-point favorite, one of the biggest spreads the Lobos have faced since they were 38.5-point underdogs at Texas A&M in 2023. The over/under is set at 49.5.

How much is UNM making: Michigan is paying UNM $1.8 million for participating in Saturday’s game.

Top storyline: For Michigan, Saturday represents the first start for freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2025. The former five-star prospect won two state titles at Belleville (Michigan) High School before entering a recruitment battle between LSU and the Wolverines, who officially named him the starter Monday.

“He’s earned the opportunity,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said Monday. “It was not given to him.”

In Underwood, Michigan has a potential once-in-a-generation athlete that accounted for 12,919 all-purpose yards (11,488 passing) and 179 total touchdowns (152 passing) in four years at the prep level. A recruiting analyst at 24/7 Sports compared him to former Texas quarterback Vince Young as a prospect, lofty territory for a player who just turned 18 last week.

Underwood is being compensated in correlation with the hype: On3’s Pete Nakos reported that the 6-foot-4, 208-pound Detroit native is set to receive up to $12.5 million in NIL compensation over four years with Wolverines — unless, of course, he leaves a year early for the NFL.

“They’re paying him all that money for a reason,” UNM head coach Jason Eck said Tuesday. “He was the No. 1 player in the country for a reason — we better be ready to go against him. He’ll be motivated to prove them right that they gave him all that money for a good reason.”

With a new offensive coordinator in Chip Lindsey, the specifics of Michigan’s offense are more vague than they’ve been. But Eck said the Lobos will need answers for Underwood in the quarterback run game, calling him a “great player” who UNM can’t take lightly — even if he thinks the pressure’s off.

“We got nothing to lose,” Eck said. “We’re not gonna disappoint anybody’s picks if we lose this game. … I really do think we have no pressure on this game.”

UNM football position previews

Lobos to watch: Montana State transfer running back Scottre Humphrey and Idaho transfer defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby are easily two of the most important — maybe the two most important — players on the roster. But Saturday represents a chance for them to not just help UNM win, but possibly land on NFL radars.

“I told our players, the guys who wanna play in the NFL on the team, this is gonna be the first game the NFL scouts want to watch (to) evaluate you,” Eck said. “You really, truly have an opportunity to go play your ass off and turn it loose. And this is probably not the first game that the NFL scouts are gonna flip on for the Michigan guys — that might be one of those innate advantages we have as an underdog, that we can go play our tail off.”

Idaho transfer quarterback Jack Layne will be making his first start with the Lobos after completing 99 of 154 passes for 1,477 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions in six games last season. Tuesday, the 6-2, 206-pound junior said he relishes the opportunity to go up against the level of talent Michigan presents.

“You don’t dream of playing Saturday day games against teams you’re supposed to beat,” he said Tuesday. “You’re supposed to play these big games in prime-time. It’s kinda like Friday night lights back in high school, where every game was a big time game.

“It’s awesome, man. Dream come true.”

Wolverines to watch: Outside of Underwood, edge rusher Derrick Moore might be Michigan’s most notable player. The 6-3, 256-pound junior made 23 tackles with four sacks last season, and was projected as a second-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft by Pro Football Focus.

Running back Justice Haynes, wide receiver Donaven McCulley, and linebackers Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham also present challenges: “They’re a physical, well-coached team … Their front seven really impresses me,” Eck said.

What happened the last time these teams played: Saturday will be the first time Michigan and UNM meet on the field. But Eck, a former walk-on center and graduate assistant at Wisconsin, compiled a 0-5 record, from 1997–2001, playing against the Wolverines.

Two of those games were in Ann Arbor: “This is a historic stadium to play in,” Eck said. “I was lucky to be there a couple times.”