Alamo Bowl Explained

The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the second choice team from the Big 12 Conference. For the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the Pac-12 or Pac-12 "legacy schools" (former Pac-12 schools who are departing in 2024) will continue to fulfill their prior conference tie-in role. Traditionally, the Alamo Bowl has been played in December, although it was played in January following the 2009, 2014, and 2015 seasons. This year's game is scheduled for December 28, 2024.

Since 2007, the game has been sponsored by Valero Energy Corporation and officially known as the Valero Alamo Bowl. Previous sponsors include MasterCard (2002–2005), Sylvania (1999–2001), and Builders Square (1993–1998).

History

The game was previously known as the Builders Square Alamo Bowl (1993–1998), the Sylvania Alamo Bowl (1999–2001), and the MasterCard Alamo Bowl (2002–2005). The logo of the event has evolved to reflect the changes in sponsorship. On May 24, 2007 the Alamo Bowl announced a partnership with San Antonio-based Valero Energy Corporation, and thus the bowl's full name was changed. The partnership with Valero is in place until 2025.[1]

The game originally gave an automatic invite to a team from the now-defunct Southwest Conference (SWC). However, in 1993, only two of the eight SWC teams finished with the necessary 6 wins against Division I-A teams to become bowl-eligible, and those two teams were already committed to other bowls, so the Iowa Hawkeyes were invited instead. The SWC was able to provide teams for the next two seasons (Baylor Bears in 1994 and Texas A&M Aggies in 1995) before the conference disbanded.

During the 1996 Alamo Bowl, the Iowa Hawkeyes wore plain black helmets (removing their tigerhawk logo and gold stripe) in honor of linebacker Mark Mitchell's mother, who died in a car accident while traveling to San Antonio for the game.

The 2002 Alamo Bowl played between the Colorado Buffaloes and Wisconsin Badgers was the first Alamo Bowl to go into overtime, with the unranked Badgers defeating the No. 14 ranked Buffaloes after kicking a field goal to win 31–28, completing a perfect non-conference schedule at 6-0 (the Badgers finished with a 2-6 record in the Big Ten). The 2008 Alamo Bowl between the Missouri Tigers and Northwestern Wildcats also went into overtime, with the Tigers defeating the Wildcats 30–23.

The 2005 Alamo Bowl ended with one of the most controversial plays in bowl game history. During the multi-lateral play, almost the entire Nebraska Cornhuskers team and coaching staff as well as half of the Michigan Wolverines sideline came onto the field, and the Cornhuskers gave their coach a Gatorade shower before the play was blown dead. It drew parallels to 1982's "The Play", 2000's "Music City Miracle", and 2002's "Bluegrass Miracle". Nebraska would win the game 32−28 after Michigan was not able to reach the endzone.

The 2007 Alamo Bowl between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Texas A&M Aggies was attended by 66,166, an Alamodome facility-record crowd for a sporting event, breaking the previous record set by the Iowa Hawkeyes and Texas Longhorns in the 2006 Alamo Bowl. The Nittany Lions won the game 24–17.[2]

The Alamo Bowl has sold out seven of its 16 games (1995, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2011).[3]

On August 28, 2009, the Alamo Bowl organizers announced they had reached an agreement with the then Pac-10 Conference to replace the Big Ten Conference in the Alamo Bowl. Under the terms of the agreement, the now Pac-12 Conference's (Pac-12) second-choice team earns a bid to the Alamo Bowl. The agreement took effect beginning with the 2010 college football season.[4] The Pac-12's second-choice team was previously contracted to play in the Holiday Bowl against the third choice from the Big 12. The Big 12's third choice also moved to the Alamo Bowl, and the Holiday Bowl now gets third choice of team from the Pac-12 and the fourth choice from the Big Ten.

In the 2011 Alamo Bowl, the Baylor Bears and Washington Huskies combined to score 123 points, breaking the record for the most points scored in a bowl game in college football history. Baylor won the game, 67–56. The 2011 game was also the first Alamo Bowl to feature a season's Heisman Trophy winner, Baylor's Robert Griffin III.

Game results

All rankings are taken from the AP Poll prior to the game being played.

DateWinning teamLosing teamAttnd.Notes
December 31, 1993 California 37 3 45,716 notes
December 31, 1994
  1. 24 Washington State
10 3 44,106 notes
December 28, 1995
  1. 19 Texas A&M
22 20 64,597 notes
December 29, 1996
  1. 21 Iowa
27 0 55,677 notes
December 30, 1997
  1. 16 Purdue
33 20 55,552 notes
December 29, 1998 Purdue 37 34 60,780 notes
December 28, 1999
  1. 13 Penn State
24 0 65,380 notes
December 30, 2000
  1. 8 Nebraska
66 17 60,028 notes
December 29, 2001 Iowa 19 16 65,232 notes
December 28, 2002 Wisconsin 31 28 (OT) 50,690 notes
December 29, 2003
  1. 22 Nebraska
17 3 56,229 notes
December 29, 2004
  1. 24 Ohio State
33 7 65,265 notes
December 28, 2005 Nebraska 32 28 62,016 notes
December 30, 2006
  1. 18 Texas
262465,875 notes
December 29, 2007 Penn State 24 1766,166 notes
December 29, 2008
  1. 25 Missouri
30 23 (OT)55,986 notes
January 2, 2010 Texas Tech 41 31 64,757 notes
December 29, 2010
  1. 16 Oklahoma State
36 10 57,593 notes
December 29, 2011
  1. 15 Baylor
67 56 65,256 notes
December 29, 2012
  1. 23 Texas
31 27 65,277 notes
December 30, 2013
  1. 10 Oregon
30 7 65,918 notes
January 2, 2015
  1. 14 UCLA
40 35 60,517 notes
January 2, 2016
  1. 11 TCU
47 41 (3OT) 64,569 notes
December 29, 2016
  1. 12 Oklahoma State
38 8 59,815notes
December 28, 2017
  1. 13 TCU
39 37 57,653 notes
December 28, 2018
  1. 12 Washington State
28 26 60,675 notes
December 31, 2019 Texas 38 10 60,147 notes
December 29, 2020
  1. 20 Texas
55 23 10,822 notes
December 29, 2021
  1. 14 Oklahoma
47 32 59,121 notes
December 29, 2022
  1. 12 Washington
27 20 62,730 notes
December 28, 2023
  1. 14 Arizona
3824 55,853 notes
Source:[5]

MVPs

Two MVPs are selected for each game; one offensive player and one defensive player.

Year ! style="background:#FFB724; color:#AF2115; border: 2px solid #006986;" colspan=3 valign="Center" Offensive MVP! style="background:#FFB724; color:#AF2115; border: 2px solid #006986;" colspan=3 valign="Center" Defensive MVP
Player Team Pos. Player Team Pos.
1993 California QB California LB
1994 Washington State QB Ron Childs Washington State LB
1995 Kyle Bryant Texas A&M K Texas A&M LB
1996 Iowa RB Iowa DL
1997 Purdue QB Adrian Beasley Purdue S
1998 Purdue QB Purdue DE
1999 Rashard Casey Penn State QB Penn State LB
2000 Nebraska RB Nebraska DL
2001 Aaron Greving Iowa RB Derrick Pickens Iowa DL
2002 Wisconsin QB Jeff Mack Wisconsin LB
2003 Nebraska QB Nebraska DL
2004 Ohio State WR/PR/KR Ohio State DE
2005 Nebraska RB Michigan CB
2006 Texas QB Texas CB
2007 Penn State RB Penn State LB
2008 Missouri WR/PR/KR Missouri LB
Jan. 2010 Texas Tech QB Texas Tech CB
Dec. 2010 Oklahoma State WR Oklahoma State S
2011 Baylor RB Elliot Coffey Baylor LB
2012 Texas WR Texas DE
2013 Oregon QB Oregon SS
2015 UCLA RB UCLA LB
Jan. 2016 TCU QB TCU LB
Dec. 2016 Oklahoma State WR Vincent Taylor Oklahoma State DT
2017 TCU QB Travin Howard TCU LB
2018 Washington State QB Peyton Pelluer Washington State LB
2019 Texas QB Texas LB
2020 Texas RB Texas LB
2021 Oklahoma RB Pat Fields Oklahoma S
2022 Washington QB Washington DE
2023 Arizona WR Arizona S
Source:[6] [7] [8] [9]

Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Award

The bowl's sportsmanship award is named after Fred Jacoby,[10] who served as SWC commissioner from 1982 to 1993.[11]

YearPlayerTeamPosition
1993 Larry Blue Iowa DT
1994 Baylor DB
1995 Michigan LB
1996 Shane Dunn Texas Tech OT
1997 Oklahoma State DB
1998 Kansas State DB
1999 Texas A&M CB
2000 Northwestern QB
2001 Anton Paige Texas Tech WR
2002 Zac Colvin Colorado QB
2003 Joe Tate Michigan State OG
2004 Oklahoma State QB
2005 Michigan WR
2006 Iowa OL
2007 Texas A&M LB
2008 Rasheed WardNorthwestern WR
Jan. 2010 Michigan State DB
Dec. 2010 Arizona WR
2011 Washington OG
2012 Storm Woods Oregon State RB
2013 Texas CB
2015 Kansas State WR
Jan. 2016 Rodney Hardrick Oregon LB
Dec. 2016 Sean Irwin Colorado TE
2017 Stanford DT
2018 Iowa State LB
2019 Utah RB
2020 Carson Wells Colorado LB
2021 Oregon C
2022 Anthony Cook Texas DB
Source:[12]

Most appearances

Updated through the December 2023 edition (31 games, 62 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
RankTeamAppearancesRecordWin pct.
1 6 4–2
2 4 2–2
4 2–2
4 3 3–0
3 1–2
3 1–2
3 1–2
3 0–3
9 2 2–0
2 2–0
2 2–0
2 2–0
2 1–1
2 1–1
2 1–1
2 1–1
2 0–2
2 0–2
2 0–2
2 0–2
Teams with a single appearanceWon (5): California, Missouri, Ohio State, UCLA, Wisconsin
Lost (4): Iowa State, Oregon State, Stanford, Utah

, Kansas and West Virginia are the only current or former Big 12 members that have not appeared in the bowl, while Arizona State and USC are the only Pac-12 members that have not appeared. Colorado has appeared as both a member of the Big 12 and Pac-12.

Appearances by conference

Updated through the December 2023 edition (31 games, 62 total appearances).

ConferenceRecordAppearances by season
GamesWLWin pct.WonLost
28 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009*, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015*, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2014*, 2018, 2022, 2023
16 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007 1993, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009*
16 1993, 1994, 2013, 2014*, 2018, 2022, 2023 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015*, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021
bgcolor=lightgreySWC 2 1995 1994

Game records

TeamRecord, Team vs. OpponentYear
Most points scored (winning team)67, Baylor vs. Washington2011
Most points scored (losing team)56, Washington vs Baylor2011
Most points scored (both teams)123, Baylor vs. Washington2011
Fewest points allowed0, shared by:
Iowa vs. Texas Tech
Penn State vs. Texas A&M
 
1996
1999
Largest margin of victory49, Nebraska (66) vs. Northwestern (17)2000
Total yards777, Baylor vs. Washington2011
Rushing yards482, Baylor vs. Washington2011
Passing yards460, Texas Tech vs. Michigan StateJan. 2010
First downs 33, Baylor vs. Washington2011
Fewest yards allowed90, California vs. Iowa1993
Fewest rushing yards allowed20, California vs. Iowa1993
Fewest passing yards allowed56, Oregon vs. Texas2013
IndividualRecord, Player, TeamYear
All-purpose yards 249, Tyler Lockett (Kansas State) 2015
Touchdowns (overall) 7, Keith Price (Washington) 2011
Rushing yards 240, Dan Alexander (Nebraska) 2000
Rushing touchdowns 5, Terrance Ganaway (Baylor) 2011
Passing yards 438, Keith Price (Washington) 2011
Passing touchdowns 4, shared by :
Keith Price (Washington)
Casey Thompson (Texas)

2011
2020
Receiving yards 198, Jermaine Kearse (Washington) 2011
Receptions 13, Tyler Lockett (Kansas State) 2014
Receiving touchdowns 3, J. J. Arcega-Whiteside (Stanford) 2017
Tackles 17, Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri) 2008
Sacks 4.5, Alex Okafor (Texas) 2012
Interceptions 2, most recently:
Leon Hall (Michigan)

2005
Long PlaysRecord, TeamYear
Touchdown run 89 yds., Terrance Ganaway (Baylor) 2011
Touchdown pass 93 yds., Jalen Reagor (TCU) 2017
Kickoff return 69 yds., Steve Breaston (Michigan) 2005
Punt return 76 yds., Desmon White (TCU) 2017
Interception return 91 yds., Don Strickland (Colorado) 2002
Fumble return 87 yds., Gunner Maldonado (Arizona) 2023
Punt 67 yds., Justin Brantly (Texas A&M) 2007
Field goal 53 yds., Cameron Dicker (Texas) 2020
MiscellaneousRecord, TeamsYear
Bowl Attendance 66,166, Penn State vs. Texas A&M 2007
Source:[13]

Media coverage

The bowl has been televised on ESPN since its inception. It has produced eight of the top 20 most-watched bowl games in ESPN history. In 2006, the Alamo Bowl featured the Texas Longhorns and the Iowa Hawkeyes in a game that earned a 6.0 rating, making it the most-watched college football game in ESPN history as more than 8.83 million viewers saw the telecast.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bailey. W. Scott. Pandemic forces Valero Alamo Bowl into waiting game. San Antonio Business Journal. April 9, 2020. April 9, 2020.
  2. News: Alamo Bowl crowd sets Alamodome record . Bevo Beat (blog) . December 30, 2006 . 2006-12-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929121309/http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/longhorns/entries/2006/12/30/alamo_bowl_crowd_sets_alamodome_record.html . September 29, 2007 .
  3. http://www.alamobowl.com/pdf/mg06_1-of-3.pdf 2006 Alamo Bowl Media Guide, pp. 1–22, (PDF)
  4. Web site: Valero Alamo Bowl, Pacific-10 Conference agree on deal starting in 2010 season . . 2009-08-28 . 2015-12-24.
  5. Valero Alamo Bowl . Bowl/All Star Game Records . 12 . NCAA.org . NCAA . 2020 . January 3, 2021.
  6. LoeffelholzTV . 1476429393467691010 . The Oklahoma Sooners take home the Alamo Bowl 47-32 . December 30, 2021 . December 30, 2021.
  7. valeroalamobowl . 1608714216730402817 . Congratulations to our 30th annual #valeroalamobowl Offensive MVP, @themikepenix on an incredible, record-breaking game. . December 30, 2022 . December 30, 2022.
  8. LarsHanson . 1608707008131403778 . Bralen Trice named 2022 Alamo Bowl defensive MVP . December 30, 2022 . December 30, 2022.
  9. realBJP . 1740613276772483297 . Jacob Cowing named #AlamoBowl MVP and Gunner Maldonado wins defensive MVP . December 29, 2023. December 29, 2023.
  10. Web site: Fred Jacoby - General. National Football Foundation. en. 2020-01-03.
  11. Web site: Ex-SWC Commissioner Fred Jacoby, 80, dies . Longview News-Journal . . March 16, 2008 . May 16, 2017 . newspapers.com.
  12. valeroalamobowl . 1608709955170754564 . Congratulations to the 2022 #valeroalamobowl Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Award Recipient, @_ACook21. . December 30, 2022 . December 30, 2022.
  13. Web site: Records - Valero Alamo Bowl . alamobowl.com . December 29, 2020.
  14. http://www.texassports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/010307aab.html 2006 Alamo Bowl ranks as ESPN's most-watched bowl game