– Last Updated on June 8, 2018 7:50 am
2017 Football Preview – Sun Belt – Aggies
Looking for 2017 New Mexico State Aggies predictions? In 2015, the Aggies won three games, which was actually a good sign. That was the most wins the team had put together since its four-win campaign in 2009. As ridiculous as it sounds, things were clearly on the way up!
Unfortunately, the team won just three games in 2016 and enters 2017 hoping for the breakthrough it couldn’t get a year ago.
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- 2017-18 College Football Preview – New Mexico State Aggies
- Head Coach: Doug Martin
- 2016 Record: 3-9
- New Mexico State Aggies Odds to win the 2017 FBS Championship: +50000
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2017 will be the final season for New Mexico State in the Sun Belt. In 2018, the program will become an independent FBS program.
Can this group do anything to turn around its fate and gain some momentum before entering a brand new situation?
2017 New Mexico State Aggies Predictions: Team Strengths
Continuity: The Aggies didn’t find much success last season. That much is obvious.
But despite their struggles, there’s something to the concept of team chemistry. And this New Mexico State team should have plenty of that in 2017.
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Entering the new campaign, Martin’s team will have 16 returning starters. That’s clearly a sign that the dudes in uniform a year ago weren’t good enough to bolt for the pros or other programs, but it’s also a sign that things are looking up.
Bringing in new talent is the first choice for a program struggling to make a name for itself. But if you’re not a top recruiting school, your next-best choice is building continuity.
That’s what New Mexico State has going for it at this juncture.
Top Rusher: Depth in the backfield is going to be an issue with this team. But instead of continuing to harp on the negatives when it comes to this Aggies squad, let’s take the high road.
New Mexico’s success will begin and end with senior running back Larry Rose III. That’s a lot of pressure to put on one relative-unknown (as far as the national audience is concerned), but he’s up for the job.
Last season, Rose played in just nine games because of injury. He had sports hernia surgery in the offseason and is expected to be fine in 2017.
But in 2015, the tailback was named third-team All-America. He’s a bright spot for this program, and more importantly, he’s someone the offense can rely on in most situations—especially with six starters making a comeback this year to the offensive line.
2017 New Mexico State Aggies Predictions: Team Weaknesses
Defense: Last season, the Aggies brought in a new face to take on the challenging role of defensive coordinator. Frank Spaziani, a former head coach, was supposed to turn the program around.
No, nobody expected him to come in and make a huge difference right away with what he was working with, but getting the program from 125th in the nation defensively to 121st was a serious letdown.
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Entering 2017, this defensive group brings back nine starters. That’s good news.
But unlike the offense, which we highlighted continuity as a selling point, there’s little reason to believe this team can ride off the success of an individual star.
If the defense proves to be a surprise this upcoming season, the Aggies as a whole could find more success—and we’d expect that to translate to the wins column.
We just don’t see that happening. We know what we need to know about New Mexico State’s defense at this juncture.
New Mexico State Aggies Prediction: 3-9
Entering the 2017 NCAAF season, there’s little reason for optimism if you’re the New Mexico State Aggies. A move to being an Independent FBS program won’t hurt, but don’t expect much momentum heading into 2018 based on this year’s projections.
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Although three wins two years ago was a relative win considering the team’s recent success, three wins a year ago was a disappointment. Imagine what that will mean when this group gets three wins yet again.
The truth is that we see the Aggies as more likely to win two games than four games this season. Three is where we’re settling, but if you’re wondering whether to take an over/under on 3.0, under is the safer bet based on the talent and schedule entering 2017.
2017 New Mexico State Aggies Football Schedule
- 8/31/17 10:30 PM ET @ASU
- 9/9/17 TBD @UNM
- 9/16/17 8:00 PM ET TROY
- 9/23/17 8:00 PM ET UTEP
- 9/30/17 TBD @ARK
- 10/7/17 TBD @APP
- 10/14/17 6:00 PM ET @GASO
- 10/28/17 TBD ARST
- 11/4/17 TBD @TXST
- 11/18/17 TBD @ULL
- 11/25/17 TBD IDHO
- 12/2/17 TBD USA
What do you think about our 2017 New Mexico State Aggies predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2017!
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