New Mexico State Football Schedule 2026: Full Aggies Slate, Dates, and Key Games

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New Mexico State opens the 2026 season on one of Week 0’s biggest stages: a first-ever meeting with Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, August 29 — a $1.4 million payday trip that kicks off Tony Sanchez’s third year in Las Cruces. From there the Aggies get the Rio Grande Rivalry at home, a Conference USA slate loaded with midweek TV games, and five nationally televised contests in all.

Kickoff times for the remaining games are announced about 12 days out based on TV selections, so check back weekly — this page is updated as times, networks, and results come in.

2026 Team Schedule
New Mexico State Football Schedule
Conference USA · Aggie Memorial Stadium · Tony Sanchez (3rd year)
Aug 29
Week 0 Opener at FSU
6
Home Games
4
Midweek CUSA Games
Sept 26
Circle It: New Mexico
Date Opponent Time (ET) / TV Result
Sat, Aug 29 at Florida State 7:00 PM · The CW L 17-34
Sat, Sept 5 vs Mercyhurst 9:00 PM · ESPN+ —
Sat, Sept 12 at Hawaii TBA —
Sat, Sept 19 Bye Week — —
Sat, Sept 26 vs New Mexico (Rio Grande Rivalry) 3:30 PM · CBSSN —
Thu, Oct 1 vs Western Kentucky TBA —
Wed, Oct 7 at FIU TBA —
Wed, Oct 21 at Sam Houston TBA —
Wed, Oct 28 vs Jacksonville State 9:00 PM · ESPN2 —
Sat, Nov 7 vs Liberty (Homecoming) 5:00 PM · ESPN+ —
Sat, Nov 14 at Missouri State 3:00 PM —
Sat, Nov 21 vs Delaware (Senior Day) 3:00 PM —
Sat, Nov 28 at Middle Tennessee 2:00 PM —

Games That Will Decide New Mexico State’s Season

Aug 29 at Florida State The first meeting ever between the programs, on national TV in Week 0 — a free swing at a Power Four giant and a $1.4 million check either way.
Sept 26 vs New Mexico The Rio Grande Rivalry comes to Aggie Memorial on CBS Sports Network — the game that defines the season in Las Cruces regardless of the standings.
Oct 28 vs Jacksonville State A Wednesday-night ESPN2 date against one of CUSA’s title contenders — the midweek showcase the league’s TV initiative was built for.
Nov 7 vs Liberty Homecoming against the Flames, who edged NMSU by three in 2025 — a revenge spot with bowl-race implications.
Sanchez Year Three
Tony Sanchez’s Aggies improved to 4-8 in 2025 — the schedule’s home-heavy back half offers the path to the program’s first bowl push since 2023.
Midweek Football Central
Four midweek CUSA games — a Thursday and three Wednesdays — put NMSU on national TV when nobody else is playing.
A Reshuffled CUSA
The league redrew its 2026 schedule after Louisiana Tech’s exit to the Sun Belt — Delaware now visits Las Cruces for Senior Day instead of hosting the Aggies.

How the Schedule Sets Up

The nonconference slate does the heavy lifting early — Florida State and Hawaii on the road around a home date with Mercyhurst — before the rivalry game and the bye reset things for league play. From October on, the calendar is friendly: four of the last six at Aggie Memorial, with winnable home dates against WKU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, and Delaware forming the spine of a bowl case. For context on the sport’s bigger picture, here’s how the College Football Playoff works. The FBS structure is governed by the NCAA.

The Bottom Line

A Week 0 spotlight in Tallahassee, the Rio Grande Rivalry at home, and a midweek-TV-friendly CUSA run — New Mexico State’s 2026 schedule mixes payday football with a genuine bowl path. Bookmark this page — times, networks, and results are updated throughout the season.