From Frisco to Arlington, bowl season hits all points in the Lone Star State

The state of Texas hosts seven bowls in nine days beginning with the DXL Frisco bowl on Dec. 20 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.

The football frenzy in the Lone Star State concludes with two games on Dec. 29 with Arizona State and North Carolina State in the Sun Bowl in El Paso and Ohio State and USC in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington.

Here’s a look at the seven Texas-based bowl matchups:

Dec. 20

DXL Frisco Bowl: SMU vs. Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m.

The Mustangs’ defense has struggled as SMU dropped three consecutive games before beating Tulane 41-38 on Nov. 28.

Dec. 23

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth: San Diego State vs. Army, 2:30 p.m.

Since losing consecutive games to Boise State and Fresno State, the Aztecs have been rolling, outscoring their opponents 157-47. Army, which plays Navy on Saturday, won six in a row before losing to North Texas 52-49 on Nov. 18.

Dec. 26

Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl: West Virginia vs. Utah, 12:30 p.m.

This could give us an insight into the depth of the Big 12 vs. the depth of the Pac 12. Both the Mountaineers and Utes have struggled to sustain momentum.

Dec. 27

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl, Houston: Texas vs. Missouri, 8 p.m.

After a horrible start, the Tigers have won six straight. The Longhorns (6-6) have been in every game except a 24-7 loss to TCU.

Dec. 28

Valero Alamo Bowl, San Antonio: TCU vs. Stanford, 8 p.m.

The Cardinal were a few plays from being a one-loss team. Three of their four losses were by a combined nine points. They lost twice to USC, including 31-28 in the Pac 12 championship. TCU lost twice to Oklahoma, including 41-17 in the Big 12 championship.

Dec. 29

Hyundai Sun Bowl, El Paso: Arizona State vs. North Carolina State, 2 p.m.

The Sun Devils have nice wins against Washington and Utah but they also have losses to San Diego State and Texas Tech. Two of the NC State’s losses were respectable, to Clemson and Notre Dame. But they also lost to Wake Forest.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Arlington: Ohio State vs. USC, 7:30 p.m.

National powerhouses meet in the best bowl matchup outside of the playoff semifinals. The Trojans have won five in a row, including the Pac 12 championship. The Buckeyes have won four straight, including the Big Ten championship.

Texas schools out of state

North Texas vs. Troy, New Orleans Bowl, noon Dec. 16

Mean Green sophomore quarterback Mason Fine is ninth in the nation with 3,749 passing yards.

Texas Tech vs. South Florida, Birmingham Bowl, 11 a.m. Dec. 23

The Bulls’ defense, ranked 28th in the nation, will try to slow down the Red Raiders’ 17th-ranked offense.

Houston vs. Fresno State, Hawaii Bowl, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 24

Impressive Cougar wins at Arizona and South Florida are evened out by losses to Tulsa and Tulane.

Texas A&M vs. Wake Forest, Belk Bowl, noon Dec. 29

The Demon Deacons are 106th (out of 129 teams) in total defense and finished the season with a 31-23 loss at home to Duke. The Aggies are in the middle of a coaching transition as Jimbo Fisher takes over for Kevin Sumlin.

This story was originally published December 4, 2017 at 4:40 PM with the headline "From Frisco to Arlington, bowl season hits all points in the Lone Star State."