EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Battle of I-10 on the gridiron will not take place in 2026.
Battle of I-10 rivals UTEP and New Mexico State will not play each other in football in the 2026 season, officials from both universities tell KTSM.
The reasoning behind UTEP and NM State not meeting in 2026 is both programs had built their non-conference schedule prior to UTEP making the decision to leave Conference USA for the Mountain West.
UTEP and New Mexico State were more than likely going to meet in a Conference USA game in 2026, but with UTEP leaving CUSA and joining the Mountain West, that wiped out the game from their schedule.
Both sides are working to bring the rivalry game back as soon as 2027. UTEP athletic director Jim Senter told KTSM it could take “several years” for the Battle of I-10 on the gridiron to return.
“One of the things we’ve got to try to work out, obviously, New Mexico State will cease to be a conference member of ours. And so now they’ll go back to being non-conference, and we’ve got to try to get, some things worked out with regards to scheduling. Football scheduling in particular is the biggest challenge right now because they’ve filled their non-conference schedule just like we have,” Senter said in an interview with KTSM. ” It may take several years for us to get them back to the table and also having a home and home series on a consistent basis until the schedules work out. But we’re looking forward to that. It’ll be great to be able to play them in non-conference contests again.”
University officials tell KTSM the Battle of I-10 rivalry games in other sports should still be on for 2026.
The Battle of I-10 rivalry on the football field has existed since 1914. The Miners and Aggies have clashed on the football field a total of 101 times. UTEP leads the all-time series with a 60-39-2 record. In the latest meeting, UTEP collected a 42-35 win over NMSU at Aggie Memorial Stadium on Nov. 30, 2024.
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