UTEP will open the 2023 football season at new Conference USA member Jacksonville State on Aug. 26 in week zero as the league announced the new schedule.
The campaign will also feature a trio of Wednesday night league contests that will be televised nationally on the ESPN family of Networks, and a Friday night game.
Jacksonville State finished 9-2 in 2022 and 5-0 in the ASUN Conference. The Aug. 26 kickoff between Miners and Gamecocks will mark the first meeting between the two schools.
The non-conference slate and home opener will be on Sept. 2 when UTEP hosts Incarnate Word at the Sun Bowl. UIW finished as one of the top FCS programs in 2022, going 12-2 while averaging over 51 points per game. The Cardinals advanced to the FCS Playoffs Semifinals. The Miners are 1-0 all time versus the Cardinals after defeating them 27-17 in 2015 in El Paso.
UTEP will play Northwestern for the first time ever on Sept. 9. Northwestern finished 1-11 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten in 2022.
UTEP will then take on former Western Athletic Conference foe Arizona for the 53rd time on Sept. 16. The last meeting between the Miners and Wildcats came in 2017. U of A leads the all-time series 39-11-2. Arizona finished 5-7 overall and 3-6 in Pac-12 play in 2022.
UTEP will close out non-conference action when it hosts UNLV on Sept. 23. The Miners and Rebels are playing for only the ninth time. UNLV won the prior meeting, 52-24, in 2018, and owns a 6-2 mark against UTEP. UNLV went 5-7 overall and 3-5 in Mountain West Conference action in 2022.
The Miners will challenge LA Tech in a Friday night matchup in El Paso on Sept. 29. UTEP is 3-15-1 all-time versus LA Tech. The Bulldogs defeated the Miners last season, but UTEP won the last meeting in the Sun Bowl during the 2021 season, 19-3. LA Tech finished 3-9 overall and 2-6 in C-USA play.
Following UTEP's first bye week (Oct. 5), the Wednesday night contests will start on Oct. 11 at FIU. The Miners defeated the Panthers, 40-6, in 2022. UTEP is 2-3 all-time versus FIU. The Panthers went 4-8 overall and 2-6 in league play.
UTEP will then host rival and new C-USA member NM State in the Battle of I-10 on Oct. 18. The Miners defeated the Aggies 20-13 last season in the Sun Bowl. UTEP is 59-38-2 all-time versus NM State. It will mark the 100th meeting between the Miners and Aggies. It also marks the first time since the 1999 and 2000 seasons that UTEP will host NM State in back-to-back seasons. The Aggies went 6-6 overall and won the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl.
Sam Houston, another new league foe, will be the third and final midweek game for UTEP as kickoff is set for Oct. 25. The Bearkats finished 5-4 overall and 3-2 in Western Athletic Conference play. UTEP is 2-0 all-time versus Sam Houston as the last meeting was in 2003 during a 59-14 win in the Sun Bowl.
UTEP will welcome WKU to the Sun City on Nov. 4 in the first meeting since 2018. The Hilltoppers finished 9-5 overall and 6-2 in C-USA play. WKU won the 2022 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. WKU is 3-0 all-time versus UTEP. The Nov. 4 date will mark the first meeting in El Paso since 2017.
Following the second bye week (Nov. 11), UTEP will play at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 18. The Blue Raiders finished 8-5 overall and 4-4 in league play, including an EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl victory. MT defeated UTEP in 2022 and owns a 4-1 all-time mark.
UTEP will conclude the 2023 regular season against new C-USA program Liberty on Nov. 25 in Sun Bowl Stadium. The Flames finished 8-5 overall, while losing their last four games in 2022. UTEP and Liberty will meet for the first time ever.
2023 UTEP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sat., Aug. 26 at Jacksonville State*
Sat., Sept. 2 INCARNATE WORD
Sat., Sept. 9 at Northwestern
Sat., Sept. 16 at Arizona
Sat., Sept. 23 UNLV
Fri., Sept. 29 LA TECH*
Sat., Oct. 5 bye
Wed., Oct. 11 at FIU*
Wed., Oct. 18 NM STATE*
Wed., Oct. 25 at Sam Houston*
Sat., Nov. 4 WKU*
Sat., Nov. 11 bye
Sat., Nov. 18 at Middle Tennessee*
Sat., Nov. 25 LIBERTY*
*C-USA Contests
All games are subject to date changes and some dates may move in the future to accommodate national television selections. A schedule of televised games will be released at a later date.
