Texas Bowl

This weekend was rather calm for the college football community.  There were a few upsets, notably Clemson’s win over #10 Miami (FL) and Oklahoma’s defeat of #25 Kansas, but nothing significant shook up the standings.  #6 Iowa provided some excitement when they defeated Michigan State at the last second, and it was even entertaining to see #8 TCU trounce conference rival #16 BYU.  By the large, though, the biggest news of the weekend was off the field: Oklahoma announced that Heisman QB Sam Bradford has decided to undergo shoulder surgery and enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

Navy defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a rainy matchup, ringing in their 6th win on the season.  The Midshipmen only need one more win to become bowl eligible and qualify for the Texas Bowl.

There are only a few more weeks of regular season play and things are heating up on the bowl front.  Email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or visit us online at http://www.texasbowl.org if you have questions or comments about the college football landscape or the Texas Bowl.

See you at the game!
The Texas Bowl Team

Conference Football Updates

The Big 12 had another weekend of surprises as Nebraska, Texas Tech and #25 Kansas all lost at home to teams with a 3-3 record.  The Iowa State Cyclones went into Lincoln, Nebraska and came out with a win for the first time since 1977.  Eight Cornhusker turnovers, including two inside the Iowa State 5-yard line, allowed the Cyclones to stun Nebraska 9-7.  Texas A&M came up with a big win over Texas Tech, defeating the Red Raiders 52-30 in Lubbock for the for the first time since 1993.  Oklahoma traveled to Lawrence and picked off Kansas QB Todd Reesing on his first two possessions, giving the Jayhawks a 14-0 deficit.  The Sooners would roll to a 35-15 victory.  The #3 Texas Longhorns had little trouble with the Missouri Tigers, winning 41-7, and the #15 Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated Baylor 34-7.

Navy won their sixth game of the season and moved within one win of a Texas Bowl appearance.  The Midshipmen overcame Wake Forest and will face Temple at home next weekend.

In Conference USA action, UTEP rallied for two touchdowns in the final 6:30 of the game to beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Wednesday night.  Miner RB Donald Buckram rushed for 165 yards and the final two scores in the 28-24 come-back win.  Marshall and Southern Miss both collected their fifth wins of the season.  Marshall QB Brian Anderson went 25 of 38 for 315 yards, and RB Darius Marshall carried the ball 32 times for 133 yards.  This marked the first time since 2003 a Marshall QB passed for 300 yards and RB rushed for 100 yards in the same game.  The effort led to a 27-7 win over UAB.  Southern Miss defeated Tulane 43-6.  #17 Houston Cougars QB Case Keenum threw for a season-low 233 yards, but that was enough for Houston to overcome SMU 38-15.  UCF beat Rice 49-7.

The BCS standings remained relatively stable at the top, but had a few changes toward the bottom of the list.  The Big 12 has 3 teams ranked nationally, and Conference USA has 1.  See this week’s complete rankings.

Games to Watch

• Southern Miss @ #15 Houston, October 31, 12:00 PM CST, CSS
• Temple @ Navy, October 31, 2:30 PM CST, CBS-CS
• Kansas @ Texas Tech, October 31, 2:30 PM CST, ABC
• #3 Texas @ #13 Oklahoma State, October 31, 7:00 PM CST, ABC or ESPN 2

Bowl Outlook

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Bruce Feldman predict Iowa State to take on Navy in the 2009 Texas Bowl.  CLICK HERE for the full list.  Additionally, Scout.com predicts Texas A&M to face off against Navy.  See the full list.

Announcements

The Texas Bowl Competition Committee will send Chris Keeney to College Station to see the Iowa State Cyclones take on the Texas A&M Aggies.

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