UTSA to Face South Florida in Second Straight Thursday Night Appearance
The UTSA Roadrunners are marking their 15th football season in 2025. As one of the newer FBS programs and now in their third year within the American Athletic Conference, the team’s journey has been one of consistent growth.
Program Beginnings and Early Progress
UTSA built its football program from the ground up. After using 2010 as a practice year, the team debuted in 2011 as an FCS Independent. The following season, they joined the Western Athletic Conference before transitioning to Conference USA in 2013. By 2014, UTSA had achieved full FBS membership.
Record-Setting Debut Season
In its first season, UTSA set modern NCAA startup program records, drawing 56,743 fans to its inaugural game against Northeastern State and averaging 35,521 fans across six home games.
Postseason Milestones
The Roadrunners reached their first postseason with the 2016 New Mexico Bowl—just their sixth year competing. They claimed their first victory over a Big 12 team in 2017 by defeating Baylor 17–10.
Championship Breakthroughs
UTSA made headlines again in 2021, opening the season with a road win over Illinois from the Big Ten. That same year, they earned their first conference championship after a 49–42 win over WKU and wrapped up a 12–2 record in their third bowl game. In 2022, they repeated as league champions with a 48–27 victory over North Texas, finishing 11–3 and securing their third consecutive bowl appearance.
"UTSA’s rise from a startup team to a perennial contender highlights one of college football’s most remarkable growth stories."
Author’s summary: In just 15 years, UTSA has evolved from a newly formed program into a championship-caliber team making consistent postseason runs.