Texas Bowl

The Big 12 now has 8 bowl eligible teams and Kansas is the only team that has yet to become bowl eligible or ineligible.  The Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State game will have a significant impact in determining whether or not the Big 12 will send two teams to the BCS.  A Kansas victory over Missouri to become bowl eligible would also create a better bowl landscape for the Texas Bowl.  In addition, there is a lot at stake this weekend for the teams as most of them play their biggest rivalry game of the year.  It should be a great week of football!

Congratulations to the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Texas Longhorns for securing their spots in the Big 12 Conference Championship on December 5 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas!

The Texas Bowl is hosting its inaugural Texas Bowl Team Luncheon on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. at the JW Marriott and will benefit the Touchdown Club of Houston.  Guests will hear from head coaches and players as they detail their path to the Texas Bowl and the keys to victory in this year’s game.  In addition, many special appearances are in store for our newest Bowl Week event.  Visit http://www.texasbowl.org/tickets to secure your seats today!

See you at the game!
The Texas Bowl Team

Conference Football Updates

This week, the Big 12 provided exciting football action.  The #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys rallied late to avoid an upset on Thursday night.  Third string QB and former minor league baseball player Brandon Weeden threw for 168 yards and two fourth quarter touchdowns to rally the Cowboys past the Buffaloes 31-28.  Texas Tech beat Oklahoma 41-13.  The win gives Mike Leach 83 victories at Texas Tech, passing his predecessor Spike Dykes as the coach with the most wins in school history.  Texas Tech is also bowl eligible for its 16th consecutive season, which is the longest streak among Big 12 schools.  Nebraska clinched the Big 12 North with a 17-3 win over Kansas State.  The Wildcats fell to 6-6 on the year and will not be bowl eligible since two of their victories came against Division 1 Championship Series teams.  Texas A&M became bowl eligible with 38-3 win over Baylor at home.  Freshman RB Christine Michael set a school record for longest run and longest play from scrimmage with his 97-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.  Missouri beat Iowa State 34-24 and #3 Texas remained perfect this season with a 51-20 win over Kansas.

The Navy Midshipmen had a bye this week.

In C-USA action, the Houston Cougars returned to their winning ways with a 55-14 victory over Memphis.  QB Case Keenum threw for 5 touchdown passes and passed David Klinger’s school record of 91 career touchdown passes.  The Marshall Thundering Herd became bowl eligible with a 34-31 win over the SMU Mustangs.  This marks the first time the Herd have been bowl eligible under fifth-year coach Mark Snyder.  With the UH win and SMU loss, the C-USA West comes down to the final weekend.  UH holds the tie-breaker over SMU, so SMU needs a win and Cougar loss next weekend to advance to the championship game.  The C-USA East will also come down to the final weekend as East Carolina and Southern Miss both won setting up a scenario where the winner will advance to the Championship game next weekend.  Rice won its second straight game, defeating UTEP 30-29.  Central Florida beat Tulane 49-0.

After week twelve, the Big 12 has 2 teams ranked nationally, and Conference USA has 1.  See this week’s complete rankings.

Games to Watch

• #3 Texas at Texas A&M, November 26, 7:00 PM CST, ESPN
• #23 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma, November 28, 11:30 AM CST, FSN
• Kansas vs. Missouri, November 28, 5:00 PM CST, FSN

Bowl Outlook

With only one week remaining in the regular season the bowl picture is lining up.  After week 12, ESPN bowl projectors Mark Schlabach and Bruce Feldman both predict the Texas A&M Aggies to take on the Navy Midshipmen in the 2009 Texas Bowl.  See the full list.

Texas Bowl Updates

Reserve your spot at the inaugural Texas Bowl Team Luncheon on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. at the JW Marriott.  Proceeds will benefit the Touchdown Club of Houston.  Go to http://www.texasbowl.org/events to secure your seats today!

Texas country band Reckless Kelly will perform on the Bud Light Stage at TexFest at the Texas Bowl.

The Texas Bowl Competition Committee will visit 1 game this weekend as Steve Peterson will be in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium to see Texas Tech take on Baylor.

Don’t forget to follow the Texas Bowl on Facebook and Twitter for additional updates and inside information.