West Texas Buffaloes
Lone StarCanyon, TXBuffalo Stadium
2026: 2–5 (2–3 Lone Star). Last: won at Eastern New Mexico 41–27. Next: Western New Mexico, Saturday, Oct 24, 7 p.m. ET.
- L 21–52Western Colorado
- L 14–56at Grand Valley State
- W 27–19at Angelo State
- L 31–41Midwestern State
- L 21–28at Texas A&M–Kingsville
- L 17–24UT Permian Basin
- W 41–27at Eastern New Mexico
- Oct 24Western New Mexico
- Oct 31at Sul Ross State
- Nov 7at Western Oregon
- Nov 14Central Washington
West Texas has played football since at least 1921 and is 246–264–9 in the 519 games on record. Since 1945, the NFL Draft has taken 27 players from here in its first seven rounds, 2 of them in the first round. The AFL draft also took two players from here. Joe Kerbel (1960–1970) won more games here than any other coach: 68. The most-played rival is New Mexico State: 39 meetings, West Texas leads 26–11–2. This season, they’re 2–5.
On this date in 2024West Texas beat Eastern New Mexico 42–24 on the road.
Résumé
- Record on file
- 246–264–9 .483; how we count
- Postseason
- 4–0 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 0 ranked
- Elo now
- 1138
- Seasons
- 57 since 1921, 519 games
2026 season 2–5
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27 | vsWestern Colorado | L 21–52 | 43% |
| Sep 3 | atGrand Valley State | L 14–56 | 23% |
| Sep 19 | atAngelo State | W 27–19 | 41% |
| Sep 26 | vsMidwestern State | L 31–41 | 68% |
| Oct 3 | atTexas A&M–Kingsville | L 21–28 | 41% |
| Oct 10 | vsUT Permian Basin | L 17–24 | 30% |
| Oct 17 | atEastern New Mexico | W 41–27 | 66% |
| Oct 24 | vsWestern New Mexico | Preview | 78% |
| Oct 31 | atSul Ross State | Preview | 69% |
| Nov 7 | atWestern Oregon | Preview | 29% |
| Nov 14 | vsCentral Washington | Preview | 30% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Program strength since 1921
Best seasons everHead coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Yung | 1977–1980 | 19–23–2 |
| Joe Kerbel | 1960–1970 | 68–42–1 |
 Frank Kimbrough | 1947–1957 | 54–52–2 |
 Jack Curtice | 1941 | 8–2 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- New Mexico State
26–11–2 in 39
- 1976 T 13–13
- 1977 W 17–14
- 1978 L 31–33
- 1979 W 54–21
- 1980 W 17–15
- 1981 W 45–9
- 1982 W 30–28
- 1983 L 24–26
- 1984 W 21–13
- 1985 W 55–25
Won the last two.
- UTEP
9–17 in 26
- 1957 L 12–20
- 1958 L 12–29
- 1959 L 12–13
- 1960 L 3–6
- 1961 W 56–27
- 1962 W 49–0
- 1963 L 0–13
- 1964 W 14–0
- 1965 L 21–38
- 1966 L 3–9
Lost the last two.
- Wichita State
11–11 in 22
- 1976 W 14–12
- 1977 L 10–14
- 1978 L 37–38
- 1979 W 58–0
- 1980 L 18–20
- 1981 W 23–17
- 1982 L 21–24
- 1983 L 30–31
- 1984 L 14–17
- 1985 W 33–21
Won the last one.
| Opponent | Games | WTAM record |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico State | 39 | 26–11–2 |
| UTEP | 26 | 9–17 |
| Wichita State | 22 | 11–11 |
| Hardin Simmons | 21 | 7–14 |
| Texas Tech | 20 | 4–16 |
| Arizona State | 20 | 7–13 |
| Texas–Arlington | 19 | 10–9 |
| North Texas | 19 | 6–13 |
The trophy it holds: Wagon Wheel (Eastern New Mexico). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.
Every opponent (85)
Every program West Texas has played, A to Z, with West Texas’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Abilene Christian 5–5
- Adams State 2–0
- Albuquerque Field 1–0
- Amarillo Field 0–2
- Angelo State 4–4
- Arizona 3–9–1
- Arizona State 7–13
- Arkansas Tech 1–0
- Baylor 0–2
- Bethel Col 1–0
- Bowling Green 4–1
- BYU 1–0
- Cal State Northridge 1–0
- Central Washington 1–3
- Cincinnati 1–0
- Colorado College 2–1
- Colorado School of Mines 0–3
- Colorado State 4–3–1
- Dalhart Field 1–0
- Drake 8–10
- East Carolina 2–0
- East Texas A&M 1–2
- Eastern New Mexico 5–2
- Florida 0–1
- Fresno State 1–0
- Grand Valley State 0–1
- Hardin Simmons 7–14
- Houston 1–4
- Idaho 1–1
- Illinois State 0–0–2
- Indiana State 5–2
- Iowa State 0–2
- Lamar 8–3–1
- Louisiana 0–2
- Louisiana Tech 1–2
- Louisville 1–2
- Lubbock Field 2–0
- McMurry 6–2–1
- McNeese 3–7
- Memphis 0–6
- Midwestern State 5–1
- Midwestern Texas State 5–2
- Mississippi State 0–1
- Montana State 2–0
- New Mexico 7–3
- New Mexico State 26–11–2
- North Texas 6–13
- Northern Arizona 9–1
- Northern Illinois 3–4
- Ohio 2–1
- Oklahoma City 1–0
- Oklahoma State 1–1
- Pacific 4–0
- Richmond 1–0
- Sam Houston 1–0
- San Diego State 0–2
- San José State 2–0
- Simon Fraser 0–1
- South Plains Field 1–0
- Southern Illinois 4–4
- Southern Miss 3–8
- St. Mary’s (Texas) 1–0
- Stephen F. Austin 0–1
- Sul Ross State 3–0
- Tampa 1–1
- TCU 0–1
- Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 4–0
- Texas A&M–Kingsville 4–4
- Texas College 1–0
- Texas State 1–0
- Texas Tech 4–16
- Texas–Arlington 10–9
- Trinity (Texas) 8–7
- Tulsa 1–13–1
- UL Monroe 2–0
- UNLV 1–0
- UT Permian Basin 1–5
- Utah State 0–5
- UTEP 9–17
- Virginia Tech 0–2
- Western Colorado 2–4
- Western Michigan 3–1
- Western New Mexico 4–1
- Western Oregon 1–4
- Wichita State 11–11
Conferences
- Border Conference 1941–1942 and 1944–1961
- Independent 1962–1970
- Lone Star Conference since 2014
- 1962Went independent from the Border Conference. Source
- 1986Joined the Lone Star Conference from the MVC. Source
West Texas’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the draft
By college- NFL picks, rounds 1–7
- 27 since 1945
- First-round picks
- 2
- AFL picks
- 2 1964
| 1971 | Rocky Thompson RB | No. 18, New York Giants |
| 1970 | Duane Thomas RB | No. 23, Dallas Cowboys |
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2–5 | 2–3 | 1138 | ||||
| 2025 | 8–4 | 7–2 | 1226 | ||||
| 2024 | 5–6 | 5–4 | 1147 | ||||
| 2023 | 3–7 | 2–6 | 1118 | ||||
| 2022 | 5–6 | 3–6 | 1158 | ||||
| 2021 | 7–4 | 5–2 | 1310 | ||||
| 2020 | 0–1 | 1355 | |||||
| 1985 | 6–3–1 | 3–1–1 | 1361 | -9.5 | |||
| 1984 | 3–8 | 1–3 | 1261 | -29.0 | |||
| 1983 | 0–10–1 | 0–5–1 | 1189 | -12.8 | |||
| 1982 | 3–8 | 1–4 | 1375 | -16.7 | |||
| 1981 | 7–4 | 3–3 | 1501 | 5.6 | |||
| 1980 | 5–6 | 2–4 | Bill Yung | 1429 | -6.7 | ||
| 1979 | 5–5–1 | 5–0 | Bill Yung | 1475 | 3.2 | ||
| 1978 | 3–8 | 1–5 | Bill Yung | 1386 | -10.6 | ||
| 1977 | 6–4–1 | 5–1 | Bill Yung | 1480 | -2.1 | ||
| 1976 | 4–5–2 | 1–1–2 | 1404 | -8.5 | |||
| 1975 | 5–6 | 2–2 | 1427 | -9.4 | |||
| 1974 | 6–5 | 3–3 | 1441 | 3.5 | |||
| 1973 | 2–9 | 1–5 | 1238 | -26.4 | |||
| 1972 | 5–5 | 3–1 | 1359 | -15.0 | |||
| 1971 | 2–9 | 1–4 | 1292 | -30.7 | |||
| 1970 | 7–3 | Joe Kerbel | 1523 | -2.8 | |||
| 1969 | 6–4 | Joe Kerbel | 1528 | ||||
| 1968 | 8–2 | Joe Kerbel | 1565 |
Every season back to 1921 (32 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 8–3 | Joe Kerbel | 1513 | ||||
| 1966 | 7–3 | Joe Kerbel | 1493 | ||||
| 1965 | 6–4 | Joe Kerbel | 1434 | ||||
| 1964 | 4–6 | Joe Kerbel | 1388 | ||||
| 1963 | 4–4–1 | Joe Kerbel | 1473 | ||||
| 1962 | 9–2 | Joe Kerbel | 1550 | ||||
| 1961 | 6–4 | 3–1 | Joe Kerbel | 1463 | |||
| 1960 | 3–7 | 1–4 | Joe Kerbel | 1334 | |||
| 1959 | 1–9 | 0–5 | 1266 | ||||
| 1958 | 1–9 | 1–4 | 1297 | ||||
| 1957 | 7–3 | 3–1 | Frank Kimbrough | 1526 | |||
| 1956 | 8–2 | 3–2 | Frank Kimbrough | 1507 | |||
| 1955 | 4–4–1 | 1–4–1 | Frank Kimbrough | 1355 | |||
| 1954 | 1–8 | 1–5 | Frank Kimbrough | 1237 | |||
| 1953 | 1–8–1 | 0–6 | Frank Kimbrough | 1212 | |||
| 1952 | 3–6 | 1–4 | Frank Kimbrough | 1272 | |||
| 1951 | 2–7 | 1–5 | Frank Kimbrough | 1342 | |||
| 1950 | 10–1 | 6–0 | Frank Kimbrough | 1586 | |||
| 1949 | 5–4 | 3–2 | Frank Kimbrough | 1438 | |||
| 1948 | 6–5 | 2–3 | Frank Kimbrough | 1417 | |||
| 1947 | 7–4 | 5–2 | Frank Kimbrough | 1491 | |||
| 1946 | 5–5 | 3–4 | 1386 | ||||
| 1945 | 2–6 | 0–2 | 1356 | ||||
| 1944 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 1408 | ||||
| 1942 | 7–2 | 5–2 | 1467 | ||||
| 1941 | 8–2 | 4–1 | Jack Curtice | 1368 | |||
| 1940 | 1–2 | 1204 | |||||
| 1939 | 0–2 | 1207 | |||||
| 1937 | 0–1 | 1247 | |||||
| 1936 | 2–0 | 1278 | |||||
| 1935 | 1–0 | 1224 | |||||
| 1921 | 0–1 | 1187 |
No season on file for 1922–34, 1938, 1943, 1986–2019: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
All 57 seasons on file are complete, game by game: every win and loss in the record has its game here.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.