Rio Grande Rivalry

New Mexico – NM State rivalry "Rio Grande Rivalry" (1894–present)

Teams	New Mexico Lobos New Mexico State Aggies

Basketball Series	New Mexico leads 112-95
Last Winner	NM State (2011)
Current Win Streak	1 - NM State- (2011)

Football Series	New Mexico leads 66-31-5
Last Winner	NM State (2011)
Current Win Streak	3 - NM State - (2009–2011)


New Mexico	New Mexico State

The Rio Grande Rivalry is an intercollegiate rivalry between The University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. The rivalry began in 1894.

The current format of the rivalry, awarding each school points based on victories over the other in head-to-head competition, was introduced prior to the start of the 2007-08 academic year. Each head-to-head contest between the institutions in any NCAA varsity sport is worth 1.5 points, with the exception of American football and volleyball, which are worth 3 points each, and baseball and softball, in which each game is worth .75 points. The point totals are tabulated at the end of the academic year and a traveling trophy is presented to the school with the greater accumulated points total. The trophy is to be officially presented to the winning school at its first home football or men's basketball game against the other school during the following academic year.

Prior to the institution of the current all-sports format the annual head-to-head matchups between the UNM Lobos and NMSU Aggies, particularly in football and men's basketball, were often referred to as the "Battle of I-25" in recognition of the campuses both being located along that interstate highway.

The University of New Mexico celebrates the rivalry with the Red Rally, an annual event which takes place the Thursday evening before that year's UNM-NMSU football game, in which an effigy of an Aggie is set on fire.

1 Sports
2 Rio Grande Rivalry Championship
3 Notes

Sports

Football

The rivalry between New Mexico's only two NCAA Division I institutions dates back to Jan. 1, 1894 - eighteen years before New Mexico achieved statehood - when the schools met in a football contest in Albuquerque. While it is clear that New Mexico won that first game, school records seem to disagree on the score. According to New Mexico media guides the final score was 25-5 but according to New Mexico State media guides the score was 18-6. By the time New Mexico entered the union in 1912 UNM and New Mexico A&M (as NMSU was known prior to 1959) had already met on the gridiron six times. Beginning in 1993, the two universities played for the Maloof Trophy, but it was short lived- the trophy was retired in 2000. Until 1937 the series was competitive with the Aggies holding a 15-12-4 lead over the Lobos. Since 1938 the Lobos have dominated the series 54-16-1 except during 1959-1968 when the Aggies won 7 of 10 meetings. The Lobos all-time advantage is 66-31-5, however the rivalry remains spirited and the Aggies currently enjoy a three win streak in the series, their longest since winning four in a row over the Lobos from 1965-68. Most recently the Aggies defeated the Lobos 42-28 on October 1, 2011 in Albuquerque. The September 26, 2009 game when the Aggies won 20-17 in Albuquerque was the 100th time the teams had played each other.

New Mexico victories are shaded ██ light red. New Mexico State victories shaded in ██ light maroon.

Date	Winner	Score	Location
1894	New Mexico	25-5	Albuquerque
1905	NM State	40-0	Albuquerque
1906	NM State	25-5	Albuquerque
1908	New Mexico	10-6	Albuquerque
1909	New Mexico	51-0	Albuquerque
1911	NM State	10-6	Albuquerque
1912	NM State	27-0	Albuquerque
1913	NM State	13-0	Albuquerque
1914	Tie	7-7	Las Cruces
1915	New Mexico	13-0	Albuquerque
1916	New Mexico	51-0	Albuquerque
1917	NM State	110-3	Albuquerque
1919	New Mexico	24-2	Las Cruces
1920	NM State	14-7	Albuquerque
1921	New Mexico	6-0	Las Cruces
1922	NM State	7-0	Albuquerque
1923	NM State	6-0	Las Cruces
1924	NM State	6-0	Albuquerque
1925	New Mexico	20-9	Las Cruces
1926	Tie	6-6	Albuquerque
1927	New Mexico	26-9	Las Cruces
1928	New Mexico	14-13	Albuquerque
1929	Tie	7-7	Las Cruces
1930	NM State	14-6	Albuquerque
1931	NM State	13-6	Las Cruces
1932	Tie	0-0	Albuquerque
1933	New Mexico	14-7	Las Cruces
1934	New Mexico	12-6	Albuquerque
1935	NM State	32-0	Las Cruces
1936	NM State	7-6	Albuquerque
1937	NM State	5-0	Las Cruces
1938	New Mexico	6-2	Albuquerque
1939	New Mexico	9-6	Las Cruces
1940	New Mexico	39-6	Albuquerque
1941	New Mexico	28-0	Las Cruces
1942	New Mexico	32-0	Albuquerque
1946	New Mexico	7-6	Las Cruces
1947	New Mexico	20-0	Albuquerque
1948	New Mexico	61-0	Las Cruces
1949	New Mexico	14-13	Albuquerque
1950	New Mexico	26-13	Las Cruces
1951	New Mexico	21-0	Albuquerque
1952	New Mexico	23-0	Las Cruces
1953	New Mexico	28-6	Albuquerque
1954	New Mexico	39-27	Las Cruces
1955	New Mexico	14-7	Albuquerque
1956	New Mexico	14-6	Las Cruces
1957	New Mexico	25-7	Albuquerque
1958	New Mexico	16-7	Las Cruces
1959	NM State	29-12	Albuquerque
1960	NM State	34-0	Las Cruces
1961	New Mexico	41-7	Albuquerque
1962	New Mexico	28-17	Las Cruces
1963	NM State	13-12	Albuquerque
1964	New Mexico	18-14	Las Cruces
1965	NM State	20-6	Albuquerque
1966	NM State	47-12	Las Cruces
1967	NM State	54-7	Albuquerque
1968	NM State	33-6	Las Cruces
1969	New Mexico	24-21	Albuquerque
1970	New Mexico	24-17	Las Cruces
1971	Tie	35-35	Albuquerque
1972	New Mexico	55-20	Las Cruces
1973	New Mexico	48-6	Albuquerque
1974	New Mexico	26-24	Las Cruces
1975	New Mexico	52-28	Albuquerque
1976	NM State	16-7	Las Cruces
1977	New Mexico	35-13	Albuquerque
1978	New Mexico	35-20	Las Cruces
1979	New Mexico	30-16	Albuquerque
1980	New Mexico	52-19	Las Cruces
1981	New Mexico	17-13	Albuquerque
1982	New Mexico	66-14	Las Cruces
1983	New Mexico	31-10	Albuquerque
1984	New Mexico	61-21	Las Cruces
1985	New Mexico	34-27	Albuquerque
1986	New Mexico	45-14	Las Cruces
1987	NM State	17-14	Albuquerque
1988	New Mexico	36-34	Las Cruces
1989	New Mexico	45-3	Albuquerque
1990	New Mexico	29-12	Las Cruces
1991	New Mexico	17-10	Albuquerque
1992	NM State	42-39	Las Cruces
1993	New Mexico	42-7	Albuquerque
1994	New Mexico	56-31	Las Cruces
1995	New Mexico	36-24	Albuquerque
1996	New Mexico	28-7	Las Cruces
1997	New Mexico	61-24	Albuquerque
1998	NM State	28-27	Las Cruces
1999	NM State	35-28	Albuquerque
2000	New Mexico	16-13	Las Cruces
2001	New Mexico	53-0	Albuquerque
2002	NM State	24-13	Las Cruces
2003	New Mexico	24-17	Albuquerque
2004	New Mexico	38-3	Las Cruces
2005	New Mexico	38-21	Albuquerque
2006	New Mexico	34-28	Las Cruces
2007	New Mexico	44-34	Albuquerque
2008	New Mexico	35-24	Las Cruces
2009	NM State	20-17	Albuquerque
2010	NM State	16-14	Las Cruces
2011	NM State	42-28	Albuquerque

Men's Basketball

The men's basketball series between the schools has been much more competitive than football, although UNM holds the all-time advantage in that series as well. Currently Lobos hold a 112-95 advantage all-time over the Aggies. The most recent meeting in the series was a 62-53 Aggie victory at The Pit in Albuquerque on November 16, 2011, the first of two meetings for the 2011-12 season. The Aggies' win snapped a 7-game Lobo winning streak in the series dating to 2007 and was the first win for NMSU in Albuquerque since 2002. The teams will play again at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces on December 26. The December 19, 2007 contest was the 200th all-time meeting between the schools.

The UNM-NMSU series is somewhat unique among non-conference rivalries in that the schools traditionally play a two game home-and-home series each season. Most other rivalries in which the schools are not members of the same conference usually only meet once per season. Although a few individuals have proposed cutting the series back to a more conventional single annual meeting, fan sentiment at both schools remains strong for preserving the traditional two meetings per season format.

Women's Basketball

The women's basketball series between UNM and NMSU has been defined by extended streaks of dominance by one program over the other. Prior to the mid-1990s the Roadrunners (as NMSU's women's programs were known prior to 2000) were dominant, winning the first meeting by a 57-53 tally on February 1, 1974 and proceeding to win 24 of the first 35 meetings between the schools. Between 1985 and 1995 NMSU ran off a streak of 16 consecutive wins over their in-state rivals. This stretch also covered a two year period in which UNM did not field a women's basketball team. However on November 24, 1996 UNM turned the tables on NMSU in a big way. The Lobos' 48-47 win on that day in Las Cruces started a 22-game winning streak by UNM over NMSU that continued unbroken, despite a few close calls, through the 2006-07 season. But on December 2, 2007 the Lady Aggies ended 11 years of frustration against their instate rivals by knocking off the Lady Lobos 58-42 at the Pan Am Center. The all-time series now stands at 47-22 in favor of UNM, after the Lady Lobos beat NMSU 65-60 on December 30, 2010, at The Pit in Albuquerque. Like the men's teams, the UNM and NMSU women also traditionally play two games per year against each other, one game in each city.