UTSA routes Houston in seven innings

By Rylan Renteria Contributor

With UTSA officially joining the American Athletic Conference in the fall of 2023, the Roadrunners will have some unfamiliar opponents for the first time in a while.

Here is a look ahead at each matchup of the 2023 regular season.

For the first four games of the season, the Roadrunners will play nonconference opponents. Week one, on Sept. 2, will be a rematch of last year’s opener as UTSA heads to TDECU Stadium to take on the University of Houston Cougars. UH will have completed their transfer to the Big 12 Conference by then, meaning UTSA will open the season against a Power Five opponent.

UTSA’s home opener will come on Sept. 9 as they host the Texas State Bobcats. The Roadrunners have won their last four matchups against the

Bobcats, including a 51-48 double overtime game which also happened to be Jeff Traylor’s debut game. The following week UTSA will play the Army Black Knights for the second year in a row, this time in San Antonio. To close out the non-conference play, UTSA will head to Knoxville to take on the Tennesse Volunteers. The Vols will be the toughest team UTSA faces this season as they are coming off a fantastic 2022 campaign where they peaked at number one in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

The Roadrunners’ first AAC contest will come on Oct. 7 when they take on the Temple University Owls — followed by the first-ever AAC matchup in San Antonio when the UAB Blazers come to town. UTSA has won the last two matchups vs. the Blazers, including the 44-38 double overtime win last season.

A trip to Florida Atlantic to play the Owls and a home contest vs. the ECU Pirates come before a C-USA Championship rematch in Denton vs. North Texas. The Roadrunners will look to make it three straight wins vs. UNT after the Mean Green spoiled their 2021 undefeated regular season. Games against the Rice Owls and The University of South Florida Bulls close out the home schedule for UTSA.

The final regular season matchup for UTSA will be against Tulane. Tulane is coming off of a surprising 2022 season that ended with them appearing in the Cotton Bowl, where they defeated number five ranked USC. This will be the second toughest matchup for UTSA, and it will come at a time when the Roadrunners will most likely be fighting for a spot in the AAC championship.