Former WAC foes Wyoming, UTEP to renew rivalry in 2028-29

LARAMIE -- Have any plans on Sept. 23, 2028?

That day, former Western Athletic Conference rival, UTEP, will pay a visit to War Memorial Stadium for the first of a two-game series scheduled between the Miners and Cowboys. The second meeting is slated for Sept. 29 the following season at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.

FBSChedules.com announced the deal back on Dec. 21.

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Wyoming and UTEP shared the same conference from 1968 to 1998. The Cowboys left for the newly formed Mountain West, joining BYU, Utah, Colorado State, Air Force, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV. The Miners stayed in the WAC until 2004 before joining Conference USA where they still reside today.

Wyoming leads the all-time series 26-6-1 and have won eight of the last nine against UTEP. The two schools finished in a 28-28 tie in 1991. The last meeting was in 1995 when the Cowboys rolled to a 42-19 victory in west Texas.

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The first time these two teams played came back in 1962. Lloyd Eaton's Cowboys won 14-6 inside the Sun Bowl.

In 1987 and '88, wins over UTEP led to back-to-back conference titles and consecutive trips to the Holiday Bowl for Paul Roach's Wyoming squads.

Dana Dimel, UTEP's current head coach, held the same position in Laramie from 1997-99, posting on an overall record of 22-13. Twice Dimel won seven games. In '98, the Cowboys went 8-3.

Three of the Cowboys four non-conference opponents in 2028 have now been confirmed. Wyoming will host Akron on Sept 9 before heading to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech the following Saturday.

Here is a list of Wyoming's confirmed non-conference games through 2033:

2022: At Illinois (Aug. 27), vs. Tulsa (Sept. 3), vs. Northern Colorado (Sept. 10), at BYU (Sept. 24)

2023: Vs. Texas Tech (Sept. 2), vs. Portland State (Sept. 9), at Texas (Sept. 16), vs. Appalachian State (Sept. 23)

2024: At Arizona State (Aug. 31), vs. Idaho (Sept. 7), vs. New Mexico State (Sept. 21), vs BYU (Sept. 28)

2025: At Akron (Aug. 30), vs. Cal Poly (Sept. 6), vs. Utah (Sept. 13), at Colorado (Sept. 20)

2026: Vs. North Texas (Sept. 5), vs. Northern Colorado (Sept. 12), at Central Michigan (Sept. 19)

2027: At Utah (Sept. 4), vs. Southern Utah (Sept. 11), at North Texas (Sept. 18), vs. Central Michigan (Sept. 25)

2028: Vs. Akron (Sept. 9), at Texas Tech (Sept. 16), vs. UTEP (Sept. 23)

2029: Vs. California (Sept. 8), at UTEP (Sept. 29)

2030: At Arizona (Sept. 14)

2031: N/A

2032: At California (Sept. 4)

2033: Vs. Arizona (Sept. 17)

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players