Alamo Bowl Details
When the City of San Antonio decided to build the Alamodome, the hope was that it would help entice a professional football team into moving to the city. For one year (1995), it was the home of a pro team, the San Antonio Texans of the Canadian Football League. While the pro game failed to catch on, the college game did not.
The city started hosting the Alamo Bowl the year the stadium opened in 1993. Over the years, the game has grown to become one of the better bowls not played on New Year’s Day thanks to two strong conference tie-ins.
After the College Football Playoff selections are made, the Alamo Bowl gets the second choice from the Pac-12 and third from the Big 12. The game initially was affiliated with the Southwest Conference (1993-94), but that relationship ended when the SWC folded. From 1995-2009 the Big Ten sent a team to the game.
The record for most appearances in the game is shared by Iowa (2-2) and Oklahoma State (2-2) with four each. Nebraska (3-0), Texas (2-1), Texas A&M (1-2), and Texas Tech (1-2) have each played in it three times.
The 2015 season edition of the game (played on January 2, 2016) was one of the best bowl games in recent history. With starting quarterback Trevone Boykin unable to play following a suspension, TCU was forced to start Bram Kohlhausen, a fifth-year senior and former walk-on who had never started an FBS game before.
After a rough first half that saw Oregon take a 31-0 halftime lead, Kohlhausen rallied the troops (after Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams was knocked out of the game) and led TCU to a thrilling come-from-behind win in triple-overtime, 47-41.
Oklahoma State and Colorado played in the game last year. The Cowboys won easily, 38-10, thanks to stellar games by the defense, quarterback Mason Rudolph (314 yards passing and three touchdowns) running back Justice Hill (100 yards, one touchdown), and wide receiver James Washington (nine receptions for 171 yards, one touchdown).