This is the moment El Paso has been waiting on for nearly three decades. On Friday, June 26, UTEP hosted its “Welcome to the Mountain West Press Conference and Reception” at the Larry K. Durham Hall of Champions — and on July 1, it stops being a countdown and becomes reality. The Miners are officially in the Mountain West Conference.
President Dr. Heather Wilson, Vice President/Director of Athletics Jim Senter, and Deputy AD/Chief Revenue Officer Michael Levy stood in front of the program’s biggest supporters and laid out exactly what this new era looks like. Senter put it simply: the Miners are El Paso’s team, and it’s the Fosters and the rest of this community that made it possible to come home to where the program belongs.
28 Years of Waiting
UTEP last competed in the Mountain West’s predecessor conference nearly three decades ago. Senter didn’t shy away from that history at the podium — he acknowledged that some fans have waited 28 years for this exact moment. That’s not a stat you throw around lightly. Kind of like how the Knick’s championship became so special.
This isn’t expansion for expansion’s sake. It’s UTEP getting back to a league that fits its geography, its TV market, and its big program ambitions. The Miners spent 21 years grinding in Conference USA. Now they’re stepping into a conference with Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming — old WAC rivals the Miners haven’t faced regularly in 20 years.
We will me the NMSU rivalry for a bit, but bring on the new conference rivals. El Paso is ready for them.
The Foster Family Keeps Showing Up
You can’t talk about UTEP without talking about Paul Foster and Alejandra de la Vega-Foster. Their $2.5 million pledge to the Climb Higher campaign — now moving into its second phase, “Reach the Peak” — this is the kind of commitment that turns a conference jump into a sustainable transition. Facilities, scholarships, NIL support — none of that gets fully funded without donors stepping up. Big or small, in the new era of collegiate athletics, the UTEP communities’ financial support is bigger than ever.
Senter made sure that didn’t go unnoticed at the reception. This city has families willing to bet on this program, and that’s the difference between just joining a better conference and actually being competitive in it.
What Fans Get on Day One
The football side of things is already taking shape. The Mountain West released its 2026 broadcast schedule, and UTEP will have six games on MW+. The home slate kicks off September 12 against Texas Southern, with Oregon State coming to the Sun Bowl on September 26 for Homecoming.
And officials confirmed the gameday experience is getting an upgrade too. Fireworks are returning for the home opener against Texas Southern, and the Homecoming game against Oregon State, word on the street, is that it will feature a full drone show.
This is becoming more than just a conference change. It’s UTEP investing in the actual fan experience of being in the building. After years of asking fans to show up and trust the process, the program is giving something back in the form of atmosphere. I think Miner fans can appreciate that as long as ticket prices remain at the decent price point they are, and the team shows out with W’s.
Rivalries Renewed, Not Just New Games
The schedule itself tells the story of what this move really means. UTEP is set to renew series against Air Force (first meeting since 1995), New Mexico (first since 2022), Wyoming (first since 1995) and Nevada (first since 2019). These aren’t total unfamiliar opponents — these are programs UTEP has history with, rivalries that went dormant during the CUSA years and are now waking back up.
There’s also a first-time meeting on deck against North Dakota State, which is making the jump from FCS powerhouse to first-year in the FBS. That’s a measuring-stick opponent if there ever was one — a program with five straight national titles in its FCS run now walking into the Mountain West alongside the Miners.
What to Watch
The on-field results will ultimately decide how this era gets remembered, but Friday’s press conference was about something bigger than wins and losses. It was about a program and a city finally arriving somewhere they believe they always belonged.
July 1 is the official date. September 12 is the first real test under the lights. Between now and then, expect more announcements on facility upgrades tied to the Climb Higher initiative, more NIL infrastructure news, and a fanbase that’s been told to wait long enough — now getting handed a reason to actually show up early and stay loud.
El Paso waited a long time for this. The Miners (football team) just have to make it worth it.
