Texas Bowl
TaxAct Texas Bowl
StadiumNRG Stadium
LocationHouston, Texas
Operated2006–present
Conference tie-insBig 12, SEC
Previous conference tie-ins
PayoutUS$6.4 million (2019)[1]
Preceded byHouston Bowl
Sponsors
Former names
  • Texas Bowl (2006–2010)
  • Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (2011–2012)
  • Texas Bowl (2013)
  • AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (2014–2016)
  • Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (2017–2019)
  • Mercari Texas Bowl (2020, game canceled)
2022 matchup
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (Texas Tech 42–25)
2023 matchup
Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
(Oklahoma State 31–23)

The Texas Bowl is an annual postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game first held in 2006 in Houston, Texas. Each edition of the bowl has been played at NRG Stadium, previously known as Reliant Stadium. The bowl replaced the defunct Houston Bowl, which was played annually from 2000 to 2005, and before that the Bluebonnet Bowl, the first bowl game in Houston, played from 1959 through 1987.

Since the 2021 edition, the bowl has been sponsored by the tax preparation software company TaxAct and officially known as the TaxAct Texas Bowl.

History

Replacing the Houston Bowl

Speculation surfaced questioning the long-term survival of the former Houston Bowl. The three-year contract with EV1.net expired on December 31, 2005, leaving the bowl game without a title sponsor. A college football official told the Houston Chronicle that the bowl was in danger of ceasing operations, as a result of the game losing its title sponsor and because the Houston Bowl still owed roughly $600,000 to the Big 12 and Mountain West conferences following the 2005 game.[2] However, the NCAA approved Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, a division of the Houston Texans, who also play in Reliant Stadium, to take over game management. In July 2006, the NFL Network acquired TV rights and naming rights to the bowl.[3]

Texas Bowl introduction

The Texas Bowl name and logo were officially unveiled on August 10, 2006, at a press conference along with conference affiliations for the bowl spots. The Big 12, Big East and Conference USA will be affiliated with the game, as well as Texas Christian University of the Mountain West. The 2006 matchup featured teams from the Big 12 and Big East Conferences.[4]

On December 3, 2006, Rutgers accepted an invitation to play Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. "We're ecstatic about having Rutgers," Texas Bowl director David Brady said. "This is a top-15 team that was three yards away from a BCS game. We couldn't be happier to have them here."[5]

2010 marked the eleventh consecutive year a bowl game has played in Houston, and the 40th year overall with a bowl game there (the Bluebonnet Bowl lasted 29 years). It was also announced on December 30, 2009, that ESPN Events would take over as part owner and operator of the game, while Lone Star Sports and Entertainment will maintain a stake in the bowl, and would be carried on ESPN.

Sponsors

On April 12, 2011, ESPN announced Meineke Car Care signed a three-year title sponsorship deal beginning in 2011, changing name of the bowl to the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.[6]

On February 12, 2014, it was announced that AdvoCare will be the title sponsor for the bowl game.[7] That sponsorship concluded after the 2016 game.

On November 15, 2017, Academy Sports + Outdoors became the new title sponsor of the bowl.[8][9] That sponsorship concluded after the 2019 game.

On December 14, 2020, Mercari was announced as the new title sponsor of the game.[10] The 2020 game was later canceled due to COVID-19 issues.[11]

On November 24, 2021, TaxAct was named as the new title sponsor of both the Texas Bowl and the Camellia Bowl.[12]

Conference tie-ins

On May 17, 2007, it was announced Conference USA would have a team in the 2007 Texas Bowl. The Texas Bowl has a rotating commitment with the Big East Conference and Conference USA for 200609 while the Big 12 Conference will have a team in all four of those games. In 2007, TCU took the place of the Big 12 team when Kansas and Oklahoma were put into the BCS, and Houston, a "home team," represented C-USA. The conferences would receive $612,500 each as per the rules of the agreements as usually, the Big East (or Big 12) would have received $750,000 for playing and C-USA would have received a $500,000 stipend for their team playing.

Issues

According to Sports Illustrated, in 2008 the bowl required Western Michigan University to purchase 11,000 tickets at full price in order to accept the invitation to play in the bowl. The university was only able to sell 548 tickets at that price, forcing it to accept a $462,535 loss, before travel expenses, to pay for the privilege of playing in the bowl.[13]

The 2020 edition, slated for December 31 between TCU and Arkansas, was cancelled on December 29 due to COVID-19 issues within the TCU program.[11]

Game results

Rankings are based on the AP Poll prior to the game being played.

Date Time (CST) Bowl name Winning team Losing team Attendance
December 28, 20067:00 PMTexas BowlNo. 16 Rutgers37Kansas State1052,210
December 28, 20077:00 PMTexas BowlTCU20Houston1362,097
December 30, 20087:00 PMTexas BowlRice38Western Michigan1458,880
December 31, 20092:30 PMTexas BowlNavy35Missouri1369,441
December 29, 20105:00 PMTexas BowlIllinois38Baylor1468,211
December 31, 201111:00 AMMeineke Car Care Bowl of TexasTexas A&M33Northwestern2268,395
December 28, 20128:00 PMMeineke Car Care Bowl of TexasTexas Tech34Minnesota3150,386
December 27, 20135:00 PMTexas BowlSyracuse21Minnesota1732,327
December 29, 20148:00 PMTexas BowlArkansas31Texas771,115
December 29, 20158:00 PMTexas BowlNo. 22 LSU56Texas Tech2771,307
December 28, 20168:00 PMTexas BowlKansas State33Texas A&M2868,412
December 27, 20178:00 PMTexas BowlTexas33Missouri1667,820
December 27, 20188:00 PMTexas BowlBaylor45Vanderbilt3851,104
December 27, 20195:45 PMTexas BowlTexas A&M24No. 25 Oklahoma State2168,415
December 31, 20207:00 PMTexas BowlCanceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[14][lower-alpha 1]
January 4, 20228:00 PMTexas BowlKansas State42LSU2052,207
December 28, 20228:00 PMTexas BowlTexas Tech42Ole Miss2553,251
December 27, 20238:00 PMTexas BowlNo. 22 Oklahoma State31Texas A&M2355,212

Source:[15]
LSU's win in the 2015 edition was vacated in 2023 by the NCAA for a booster-related violation.[16]

MVPs

2009 MVP Ricky Dobbs
YearMVPTeamPosition
2006Ray RiceRutgersRB
2007Andy DaltonTCUQB
2008Chase ClementRiceQB
2009Ricky DobbsNavyQB
2010Mikel LeshoureIllinoisRB
2011Ryan TannehillTexas A&MQB
2012Seth DoegeTexas TechQB
2013Terrel HuntSyracuseQB
2014Brandon AllenArkansasQB
2015Leonard FournetteLSURB
2016Jesse ErtzKansas StateQB
2017Michael DicksonTexasP
2018Charlie BrewerBaylorQB
2019Kellen MondTexas A&MQB
Jan. 2022Skylar ThompsonKansas StateQB
Dec. 2022Tyler ShoughTexas TechQB
2023Rashod OwensOklahoma StateWR

Source:[17][18][19]

Most appearances

Head coach Jerry Kill led Minnesota to Texas Bowl appearances in 2012 and 2013.

Updated through the December 2023 edition (17 games, 34 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank Team Appearances Record
1Texas A&M42–2
2Kansas State32–1
Texas Tech32–1
4Baylor21–1
Texas21–1
Oklahoma State21–1
LSU20–1
Minnesota20–2
Missouri20–2

LSU's win in the 2015 edition was vacated by the NCAA in 2023.

Teams with a single appearance

Won (7): Arkansas, Illinois, Navy, Rice, Rutgers, Syracuse, TCU
Lost (5): Houston, Northwestern, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Western Michigan

Appearances by conference

Updated through the December 2023 edition (17 games, 34 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost Vacated
Big 121486.5712011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021*, 2022, 20232006, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2019 
SEC926.2502014, 20192016, 2017, 2018, 2021*, 2022, 20232015
Big Ten413.25020102011, 2012, 2013 
C-USA211.50020082007 
ACC1101.0002013  
Independents1101.0002009  
Mountain West1101.0002007  
Big East1101.0002006  
MAC101.000 2008 

LSU's vacated victory following the 2015 season is excluded from the SEC's win–loss totals and winning percentage.

  • Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
  • Rutgers appeared in 2006 as a member of the Big East; the American Athletic Conference (The American) retains the conference charter following the 2013 split of the original Big East along football lines.
  • Independent appearances: Navy (2009)

Game records

Team Record, Team vs. Opponent Year
Most points scored (one team) 56, LSU vs. Texas Tech 2015
Most points scored (losing team) 38, Vanderbilt vs. Baylor 2018
Most points scored (both teams) 83, shared by:
LSU (56) vs. Texas Tech (27)
Baylor (45) vs. Vanderbilt (38)
 
2015
2018
Fewest points allowed 7, Arkansas vs. Texas 2014
Largest margin of victory 29, LSU vs. Texas Tech 2015
Total yards 668, Baylor vs. Vanderbilt 2018
Rushing yards 385, Navy vs. Missouri 2009
Passing yards 436, Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M 2023
First downs 30, Baylor vs. Vanderbilt 2018
Fewest yards allowed 59, Arkansas vs. Texas 2014
Fewest rushing yards allowed 2, Arkansas vs. Texas 2014
Fewest passing yards allowed 57, Arkansas vs. Texas 2014
Individual Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
All-purpose yards256, Leonard Fournette (LSU)2015
Touchdowns (all-purpose)5, Leonard Fournette (LSU)2015
Rushing yards243, Ke'Shawn Vaughn (Vanderbilt)2018
Rushing touchdowns4, Leonard Fournette (LSU)2015
Passing yards402, Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State)2023
Passing touchdowns4, Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech)2015
Receptions16,Brennan Pressley (Oklahoma State)
2023
Receiving yards164, Rashod Owens (Oklahoma State)2023
Receiving touchdowns3, Jakeem Grant (Texas Tech)2015
Tackles17, Micah Awe (Texas Tech)2015
Sacks2.5, shared by:
Justin Braska (Western Michigan)
Kendall Beckwith (LSU)

2008
2015
Interceptions2, Michael Carter (Minnesota)2012
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Year
Touchdown run79 yds., D. J. Chark (LSU)2015
Touchdown pass81 yds., Chris Hilton Jr. pass from Jontre Kirklin (LSU)Jan. 2022
Kickoff return99 yds., Jakeem Grant (Texas Tech)2012
Punt return76 yds., Yamon Figurs (Kansas State)2006
Interception return62 yds., Wyatt Middleton (Navy)2009
Fumble return46 yds., Travon Bellamy (Illinois)2010
Punt65 yds., Chase Turner (Houston)2007
Field goal51 yds., Randy Bond (Texas A&M)2023

Media coverage

The first three editions of the bowl were televised by NFL Network. Since 2009, it has been carried by ESPN.

Notes

  1. The 2020 game was set to feature TCU vs. Arkansas.

References

  1. "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. Duarte, Joseph (18 April 2006). "Houston Bowl in jeopardy". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  3. "NFL Network gets bowl game in Houston". NFL.com. 20 July 2006. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006.
  4. Chavez, Ana (29 August 2006). "Texas Bowl Board of Directors announced". houstontexans.com (Press release).
  5. Duarte, Joseph (3 December 2006). "Rutgers to play in inaugural Texas Bowl". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  6. Rittenberg, Adam (12 April 2011). "Texas Bowl gains new title sponsor". ESPN.com.
  7. Cook, Kara (11 February 2014). "Advocare, LSSE excited for Texas Bowl partnership". houstontexans.com.
  8. "ACADEMY SPORTS + OUTDOORS NAMED THE NEW TITLE SPONSOR OF THE TEXAS BOWL". academytexasbowl.com (Press release). November 15, 2017.
  9. "Texas Bowl Hopes New Title Sponsor Deal With Locally-Based Academy Sports Brings Stability". Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  10. "Mercari Named New Title Sponsor of Texas Bowl". ESPN Events. 14 December 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Fornelli, Tom; Kercheval, Ben (December 29, 2020). "2020 Texas Bowl canceled as COVID-19 outbreak at TCU forces it to pull out vs. Arkansas". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  12. "TaxAct® Named Title Sponsor of Texas and Camellia Bowl Games as Part of a Multi-Event College Football Agreement with ESPN Events". bowlseason.com. November 24, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  13. Murphy, Austin; Wetzel, Dan (15 November 2010). "Does It Matter?". Sports Illustrated. p. 47.
  14. Khan Jr., Sam (December 29, 2020). "Texas Bowl between TCU Horned Frogs, Arkansas Razorbacks canceled". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  15. "Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 15. Retrieved January 3, 2021 via NCAA.org.
  16. Mandel, Stewart. "Vacated LSU wins leave Les Miles out of CFB Hall of Fame consideration". The Athletic. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  17. "Bowl MVPs". TaxAct Texas Bowl (game program). Lone Star Sports & Entertainment. 2022. p. 20. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  18. @RedRaiderSports (December 29, 2022). "Tyler Shough named Texas Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 29, 2022 via Twitter.
  19. @jacobunruh (December 28, 2023). "Here is Texas Bowl MVP Rashod Owens. #OKState" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2023 via Twitter.
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