Montana adds first-ever UTRGV series to open 2030, 2031 seasons

Montana locked in a home-and-home with UTRGV on June 24, setting the first-ever meeting between the programs to open the 2030 and 2031 seasons. The Grizzlies will host the Vaqueros at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Aug. 31, 2030, then make the return trip to Edinburg, Texas, on Aug. 30, 2031.

Montana called the games its first two nonconference football dates of the 2030s, and that detail matters as much as the opponent. This is an established FCS power scheduling years ahead, protecting a home date in Missoula while also choosing a game that can travel as a brand piece when the series shifts to South Texas. Kent Haslam said Montana is “always looking for great nonconference opponents” and pointed to UTRGV’s community support and facilities, which is a clear sign the Grizzlies see more here than a convenient placeholder on the calendar.

That framing makes sense because UTRGV is no ordinary startup. The Vaqueros played their inaugural FCS season in 2025 under head coach Travis Bush, after becoming a full Southland Conference member on July 1, 2024. That move made them immediately eligible for the FCS playoffs and gave the program a quicker route into national relevance than most new entrants get.

UTRGV has already shown it can stir serious interest in the Rio Grande Valley. The school said its first football game, on Aug. 30, 2025, drew an estimated 12,000 fans inside Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium and another 8,000 outside for tailgates and pep rallies. The venue was described by UTRGV as seating around 12,000 before an April 2026 announcement that added plans for roughly 1,500 more seats in the south end zone ahead of the 2026 season.

That gives Montana a useful read on what it is really scheduling. Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula seats 25,217 and opened in 1986, so the Grizzlies are pairing one of the FCS’s most recognizable home environments with a program trying to build its own. The series gives Montana a fresh nonconference opponent, a road trip with potential crowd energy, and a little more proof that the Griz are still thinking like a national contender, not just a team filling dates.