Looks the million dollar+ payday for NM from Liberty is part of the deal. Article from the Santa Fe New Mexican,
"The University of New Mexico football program will continue to dabble with competing against Power Five conference teams in the future. Among future games announced by the school Wednesday were games against the Southeastern Conference’s Texas A&M and the PAC-12’s UCLA. They were the highlights of future games for the Lobos, who also will play a home-and-home series against UTEP in 2021 and 2022 as well as a series against Liberty and Houston Baptist.
UNM heads to College Station, Texas, in September 2021 for a game that will pay the Lobos $1.1 million. The Aggies already have a game set with the Lobos this season Nov. 11. Four years later, UNM heads to Pasadena, Calif., for a game against the Bruins in the fabled Rose Bowl. The school will pocket $1.2 million for that.
The UNM-UTEP series is the second-longest rivalry for UNM (78 games), next to its yearly battles with New Mexico State (107). The Liberty series rounds out the Lobos’ 2018 and 2019 schedule, with the Flames coming to University Stadium next year and the Lovos travelling to Lynchberg, Va., in 2019.
Houston Baptist will take on New Mexico on Sept. 4, 2021, as the season opener for the Lobos."
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/sports/...4a0e8.html