Bowl projections: Is it finally time for a Horns and Aggies rematch?
The reason for the season is upon us as college football conferences prepare for championship Saturday.
The season, of course, is bowl projection season and the predictions are fluid and changing by the minute.
The state of Texas has eight bowl-eligible schools vying for bowls, including TCU, SMU and North Texas. TCU, with its College Football Playoff chances dim, appears poised to play in the Cotton Bowl or Alamo Bowl.
We’re fortunate to be home to four bowl games, including the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the Heart of Dallas Bowl at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (confused yet?) and the Frisco Bowl at Toyota Stadium in, you guessed it, Frisco.
It’s a good bet that several of the eight Texas schools will spend their bowl week in North Texas, either playing each other or sizing up a team from out of state. The most intriguing bowl projection going at the moment comes from USA Today, which has Texas playing Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Dec. 27. The Longhorns and Aggies haven’t played since Nov. 24, 2011 when Texas escaped with a 27-25 Thanksgiving Day win in College Station. The rivalry ceased to exist when A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC. If it happens, it would be must-see TV.
Stefan Stevenson: 817-390-7760, @StevensonFWST
A look at the current projections for Texas schools:
School | Sports Illustrated | CBS Sports | USA Today | Sporting News |
TCU | Cotton Bowl vs. Penn State | Fiesta vs. USC | Cotton Bowl vs. Penn State | Alamo Bowl vs. Washington |
SMU | Boca Raton Bowl vs. Florida Intl. | Hawaii Bowl vs. Colorado State | Frisco Bowl vs. UTSA | Cure Bowl vs. Central Michigan |
North Texas | Heart of Dallas vs. Texas Tech | New Mexico Bowl San Diego St. | Heart of Dallas vs. Texas Tech | Heart of Dallas vs. Kansas State |
Texas | Texas Bowl vs. Utah | Heart of Dallas vs. UCLA | Texas Bowl vs. Texas A&M | Liberty Bowl vs. Mississippi State |
Texas A&M | Music City Bowl vs. Iowa | Belk Bowl vs. Wake Forest | Texas Bowl vs. Texas | TaxSlayer Bowl vs. Virginia Tech |
Houston | Frisco Bowl vs. Marshall | Frisco Bowl vs. Northern Illinois | Boca Raton vs. Florida Atl. | Hawaii Bowl vs. Boise State |
UT San Ant. | New Mexico Bowl vs. Utah St. | Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army | Frisco Bowl vs. SMU | NA |
Texas Tech | Heart of Dallas vs. UNT | Cactus Bowl vs. Oregon | Heart of Dallas vs. UNT | Independence Bowl vs. Southern Miss |
North Texas bowl schedule
Date | Bowl | Site |
Dec. 20 | DXL Frisco Bowl | Toyota Stadium, Frisco |
Dec. 23 | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth |
Dec. 26 | Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl | Cotton Bowl, Dallas |
Dec. 29 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Bowl projections: Is it finally time for a Horns and Aggies rematch?."