Rio Grande Rivalry The Rio Grande Rivalry is an intercollegiate rivalry between The University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University . The rivalry began in 1894 . For many years the rivalry was often referred to as the " Battle of I - 25 " in recognition of the campuses both being located along that interstate highway . Traditions . The University of New Mexico students in collaboration with their student government , ASUNM , celebrates the rivalry with the Red Rally , an annual event which takes place the Thursday evening before that year ' s rivalry football game , in which an effigy of an Aggie is set on fire . 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 67 - 31 - 5 , however the rivalry remains spirited . Most recently the Lobos defeated the Aggies 27 - 14 on September 22 , 2012 in Las Cruces . 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 ██ Cherry Red . New Mexico State victories shaded in ██ Crimson Maroon . " 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 115 - 95 advantage all - time over the Aggies . The most recent meeting in the series was a 68 - 63 Lobo victory at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces on December 19 , 2012 , the second of two meetings for the 2012 - 13 season . 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 ( another example of such a rivalry is the Nashville mid - major matchup between Belmont and Lipscomb ) . 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 . Rio Grande Rivalry Championship . The Rio Grande Rivalry is a series between New Mexico and New Mexico State . ( * ) = while the competition is still ongoing , the University of New Mexico has an insurmountable lead , thus winning the 2012 - 2013 Rio Grande Rivalry .