The University of North Texas and the University of Texas at El Paso announced a home‑and‑home football series that will span the 2028 and 2031 seasons, rekindling a rivalry that first began in 1951 and adding two marquee non‑conference matchups to their schedules.
Under the agreement, the Mean Green will host UTEP at DATCU Stadium in Denton on September 23, 2028, marking the first of the two scheduled meetings and giving the home crowd a chance to see the series extend its storied history.
The series will conclude three years later when North Texas travels to Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso on September 6, 2031, providing the Miners with a home‑field advantage and completing the home‑and‑home arrangement.
The rivalry currently stands at 20‑8‑3 in favor of North Texas, which has also enjoyed a six‑game winning streak that culminated with a 31‑13 victory in 2022, underscoring the Mean Green’s recent dominance.
The new matchups slot neatly into each school’s non‑conference slate. For North Texas, the 2028 schedule now includes Baylor, Louisiana Tech and East Texas A&M before the UTEP game, while the 2031 slate adds Missouri and Western Michigan after the El Paso visit. UTEP, meanwhile, has filled its 2028 non‑league lineup with Nebraska, Utah State and Texas State, and will meet Texas and Texas State again in 2031.
A renewed chapter in a storied rivalry
Coaches and administrators from both institutions highlighted the importance of preserving a series that has become a staple of Texas college football, noting that the contests provide valuable exposure, travel opportunities and a chance to showcase each program’s progress to a broader audience.