Nine of Texas’ 12 FBS programs will be playing bowl games. No.3 TCU is the headliner, earning a trip to the Fiesta Bowl and a date with No.2 Michigan in the national semifinals.
The only FBS teams from Lone Star State to miss a bowl were Texas A&M, UTEP, and Texas State.
Below are previews of the non-playoff bowl games featuring Texas-based colleges:
Alamo Bowl: No.20 Texas (8-4) vs. No.12 Washington (10-2), December 29 at 8 p.m. in San Antonio, Texas
The Alamo Bowl will feature the highest-ranked matchup outside the New Year’s Six bowls.
San Antonio has become a home away from home for No.20 Texas, as it will play in the Alamo Bowl for the third consecutive time and sixth overall.
The Longhorns are a balanced team, with their offense averaging 35.7 points per game (20th NCAA) and a defense allowing just 21.2 points per game (30th NCAA).
No.12 Washington is an offensive juggernaut on a six-game winning streak. The Washington offense ranks second nationally in total offense (522.2 yards per game) and fourth in scoring (40.8 points per game).
The two programs have played each other four previous times, with the Longhorns holding a 3-1 advantage.
Texas Bowl: Ole Miss (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (7-5), December 28 at 8 p.m. in Houston, Texas
The Texas Bowl features two teams headed in opposite directions.
Texas Tech enters the game on a three-game winning streak, which earned them a fourth-place finish in the Big 12. Ole Miss started the season 7-0 before losing four of its last five to finish fourth in the SEC’s west division.
The two programs have met six times before, with Ole Miss winning the most recent matchup against Texas Tech 47-27 in the 2018 season opener.
Independence Bowl: Houston (7-5) vs. Louisiana (6-6), December 23 at 2 p.m. in Shreveport, Louisiana
Houston won five of its final seven games to finish the regular season. Louisiana, led by first-year head coach Michael Desormeaux, is playing in a bowl game for a school-record fifth consecutive season.
It is the first appearance in the Independence Bowl for both of these programs and will be their 10th time facing off against each other. Houston holds the series lead with six wins compared to Louisiana’s three.
It will be the last football game for Houston as a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). The Cougars are joining the Big 12 in the summer of 2023.
Armed Forces Bowl: Baylor (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3), December 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Fort Worth, Texas
Baylor’s wins this season included victories over bowl-bound teams Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Kansas.
The Bears have won four of their last five bowl games. Last season, third-year head coach Dave Aranda guided Baylor to a 21-7 victory over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
Air Force enters the Armed Forces Bowl riding a season-long four-game winning streak. Air Force leads the nation in rushing at 330.9 yards per game, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
Frisco Bowl: North Texas (7-6) vs. Boise State (9-4), December 17 at 8:15 p.m. in Frisco, Texas
North Texas will play in its sixth bowl game in seven years, but it has failed to nab a win in any postseason appearances. Last season, Mean Green lost the Frisco Bowl to Miami (OH).
Boise State is playing in a bowl game for the 25th consecutive season. It will be a homecoming for Boise State’s redshirt freshman starting QB Taylen Green, who played his high school ball for Lewisville.
The two schools fell in their respective conference championship games. North Texas lost to UTSA in the Conference USA (C-USA) championship game, and Boise State dropped the Mountain West Conference title game to Fresno State.
LendingTree Bowl: Southern Miss (6-6) vs. Rice (5-7), December 17 at 4:45 p.m. in Mobile, Alabama
The LendingTree Bowl will feature Rice playing in a bowl game for the first time under fifth-year head coach Mike Bloomgren. Rice’s last bowl appearance came at the 2014 Hawaii Bowl when they defeated Fresno State, 30-6.
Southern Miss is playing in a bowl game for the first time since 2019. Among their wins this season, the most impressive was a 27-24 win over eventual AAC champion and Cotton Bowl participant No.16 Tulane.
New Mexico Bowl: BYU (7-5) vs. SMU (7-5), December 17 at 1:15 p.m. in Albuquerque, New Mexico
SMU has won four of its last five and boasts the nation’s 11th-best scoring offense (38.4 points per game) and 12th-best total offense (479.8 yards per game). The Mustangs have been selected to play in a bowl game four years in a row for just the second time in program history, but their last two bowl games were canceled due to COVID-19.
BYU enters the New Mexico Bowl on a three-game winning streak and is playing in a bowl game for the 17th time in the last 18 seasons.
Cure Bowl: No.24 Troy (11-2) vs. No.25 UT-San Antonio (11-2), December 16 at 2 p.m. in Orlando, Florida
The second bowl game of the season will be a top-25 matchup between Sun Belt Champion No.24 Troy and C-USA Champion No.25 UTSA.
Both teams enter the Cure Bowl with 10-game winning streaks on the line. The game will pit a high-powered UTSA offense that ranks ninth nationally in total offense (486.1 yards per game) against a stout Troy defense that ranks fifth nationally in points allowed (17.5).
