Dates for next four Rio Grande Rivalry games set 

New Mexico and New Mexico State have agreed on dates for the next four years of the Rio Grande Rivalry.

The Lobos will travel to Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces on Sept. 26 of this year and Sept. 16, 2028. In turn, the Aggies will travel to University Stadium on Sept. 25, 2027 and Sept. 15, 2029, extending the state’s most storied college football rivalry to the end of the decade.

Per a contract provided to the Journal, neither school will receive any financial compensation for the next four rivalry games, a normal stipulation in recent series agreements. The home team for each game is expected to provide the road team with 450 complimentary tickets, another usual condition.

But the contract notably states that the “visitor’s band, cheerleaders, and mascot, if in uniform, shall be admitted free of charge and permitted to perform.” The new stipulation comes after the off-field rivalry between both schools spiked in 2023 when UNM charged NMSU’s marching band, the Pride of New Mexico, for seats ahead of that year’s game in Albuquerque.

A group of NMSU boosters later stepped in and covered the cost of the band's seats. Band seating for either school has not been an issue over the program's last two meetings in Albuquerque and Las Cruces. 

The winner of the matchup between Mountain West and Conference USA foes takes home "The Roaster," a chile roaster-themed traveling trophy introduced in 2025. The Lobos have the trophy after beating the Aggies 38-20 in front of a sold-out crowd at University Stadium last season.

While the series extension was announced Friday, the actual contract agreeing to the next four games was signed by former UNM Athletic Director Fernando Lovo and NMSU Athletic Director Joe Fields on Oct. 28 and Nov. 11, respectively.

Dates for all four of UNM’s nonconference games in 2026 are now set: The Lobos will host Central Michigan (Sept. 5) and FCS Mercyhurst (Sept. 12) at University Stadium before traveling to Oklahoma (Sept. 19) and NMSU (Sept. 26).

UNM’s conference schedule is undergoing modifications after the Mountain West announced that FCS powerhouse North Dakota State is joining the league for this season. A redone schedule matrix is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.