UTSA Football's Journey and Achievements
The UTSA Roadrunners are marking their 15th football season in 2025. As one of the newer FBS programs, UTSA is in its third year as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The program began from scratch, with a practice year in 2010. They played their inaugural season as an FCS Independent in 2011 before joining the Western Athletic Conference in 2012.
In 2013, UTSA moved to Conference USA and became a full FBS member starting in 2014. The team set NCAA modern startup records in 2011 by attracting 56,743 fans to their first game against Northeastern State and averaging 35,521 fans across six home games.
Notable Milestones
- The Roadrunners made their first postseason appearance in the 2016 New Mexico Bowl during their sixth season.
- In 2017, they recorded their first win against a Big 12 team with a 17-10 victory over Baylor.
- UTSA made history in 2021, beginning the season with a road victory over Illinois from the Big Ten Conference.
- That year, they also won their first conference championship with a 49-42 win over Western Kentucky University (WKU).
- UTSA completed the 2021 season with a 12-2 record and their third bowl game appearance.
Continued Success
UTSA repeated as conference champions in 2022 with a 48-27 victory over North Texas. They made their third consecutive bowl game appearance, finishing the season with an 11-3 record.
"The Roadrunners set NCAA modern startup program records in 2011 by drawing 56,743 fans to their inaugural game against Northeastern State and by averaging 35,521 fans for their six home contests that season."
"UTSA made history in 2021, opening the fall with a road win against Illinois of the Big Ten Conference, capturing their first conference championship with a 49-42 decision against WKU and capping a 12-2 ledger with their third bowl game."
Summary: UTSA has rapidly grown from a startup program to a competitive FBS team, achieving multiple conference titles and bowl appearances within 15 years.