The history between New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico stretches back more than a century. Saturday will mark the 116th football game between NMSU and UNM.
The rivalry began in 1894 and has been played annually since 1946 with the exception of the COVID-19-affected 2020 season. New Mexico holds the advantage in the series, with 75 victories vs. the Aggies’ 35 (there were five tie games in the series.)
But NMSU has continued to carve out its own chapters in the rivalry. The Aggies have won 35 meetings, including victories in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, NMSU defeated New Mexico 21-9 in Las Cruces before returning to Albuquerque the following year and defeating the Lobos 27-17. That 2023 victory was especially memorable because Albuquerque native Diego Pavia led the Aggies to the victory in his hometown.
The rivalry shifted again over the next two seasons. In 2024, the teams produced one of the most explosive games in recent history when New Mexico defeated NMSU 50-40 in Las Cruces. The 90 combined points turned the rivalry into an offensive showcase, but the Lobos once again controlled the series in 2025, defeating the Aggies 38-20 in Albuquerque after scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half. Since 2022, the teams have split their four meetings, making Saturday’s matchup another opportunity for one program to take control of the rivalry’s recent history.
The recent history between these programs suggests Saturday’s game could go in several different directions. The last four games produced four very different stories, proving there is no predictable formula when these two teams meet.
That unpredictability is part of what makes the Rio Grande Rivalry so significant. NMSU and UNM no longer share a conference, with the Aggies competing in Conference USA and the Lobos competing in the Mountain West. But it means Saturday’s game provides the opportunity for the two programs to settle the state’s football rivalry directly on the field.
The timing of this year’s rivalry adds another layer to the story.
With Hispanic Heritage Month being celebrated from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, the matchup arrives during a period that recognizes the history, culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities across the United States. In New Mexico, that connection carries particular significance. The state has a long Hispanic and Latino history that is woven into the communities surrounding both universities, from Las Cruces and the southern New Mexico borderlands to Albuquerque and the central Rio Grande Valley.
For many fans, the Rio Grande Rivalry is therefore more than a matchup between two university athletic departments. It is a game played in communities where family traditions, regional identity and college sports often intersect. Generations of New Mexicans have grown up watching either the Aggies or the Lobos, passing those loyalties from parents to children and making the rivalry part of the state’s sporting culture. During Hispanic Heritage Month, that sense of community provides an additional backdrop to a game that already represents one of New Mexico’s most recognizable athletic traditions.
The rivalry also reflects the diversity of the athletes and communities that make college athletics possible. Players from different backgrounds arrive on campuses in Las Cruces and Albuquerque, represent their universities and become part of a tradition that extends far beyond the football field. On Saturday, those players will compete for the same thing they always do in this rivalry: a victory.
But they will do so in front of communities whose history and identity are deeply connected to the state they represent.
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