The Texas College of Mines, as UTEP was then known, played its very first game against a collegiate opponent in 1914, facing New Mexico A&M. It was the beginning of something that would outlast world wars, conference realignments, and the transformation of both institutions. With few exceptions, including pauses during World War I and World War II, the teams have met every year since. The rivalry developed naturally from geography: these were the only two colleges within a day's drive of each other in this remote corner of the American Southwest. Students, faculty, and townspeople all knew their counterparts across the state line. Victory meant local pride; defeat meant months of ribbing from neighbors.

The winner of the Battle of I-10 takes home two traveling trophies, each reflecting the region's frontier heritage. The older is the Silver Spade, first awarded in 1955. It is a replica of a prospector's shovel from an abandoned mine in the Organ Mountains that rise dramatically between the two campuses. The Mayor's Cup, added in 1982, is nicknamed the Brass Spittoon, a nod to the rough-and-tumble mining towns that once dotted this border region. These artifacts matter more to the players and fans than any national ranking ever could. When you can see your rival's stadium from the highway you drive every day, the trophy in your case carries a different kind of weight.

The series has produced extremes that would be statistical outliers in any other rivalry. On November 25, 1948, UTEP crushed New Mexico State 92-7, the most lopsided victory in the series. New Mexico State's biggest win came in 1922, a 64-0 shutout. UTEP dominated from the 1920s through the 1960s, building a series lead that stands at 60-40-2 as of recent play. The rivalry has also produced record crowds. The September 1998 game in Las Cruces drew 32,993 fans, the largest attendance in Aggie Memorial Stadium history. A year later, the El Paso contest attracted 52,247 to the Sun Bowl, surpassing every previous game at that venue including NFL exhibitions. In a region without professional sports franchises, the Battle of I-10 is the big game.

Both schools have spent their athletic lives searching for a conference home. They were members of the Border Conference together until it dissolved in 1962. For decades afterward, they played as independents or members of different leagues, making their annual meeting a non-conference affair. That changed briefly when New Mexico State joined UTEP in Conference USA in 2023, marking the first time in over 60 years that the Battle of I-10 counted in league standings. But conference realignment continues: UTEP announced a move to the Mountain West Conference starting in 2026. The future format of the rivalry remains uncertain, though both programs plan to stay in the Football Bowl Subdivision, ensuring the highway between them will remain contested ground.

The Battle of I-10 extends to basketball, where the rivalry runs just as deep and the history is equally storied. Both programs reached national prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s under legendary coaches: Don Haskins led Texas Western (UTEP) to the 1966 national championship, while Lou Henson took New Mexico State to the 1970 Final Four. Both coaches would win over 700 games in their careers. Uniquely, the basketball programs play a two-game home-and-home series each season rather than the single meeting typical of non-conference rivalries. The schools have met over 200 times on the hardwood. In basketball as in football, the Battle of I-10 is about geography, history, and the competitive fire that burns hottest between neighbors.