Texas A&M is projected to face former Big 12 opponent in newest Bowl projections

After, yes, one game, Texas A&M has received a new bowl game prediction

The 2024 college football season is just two weeks in (if you count Week 0), meaning bowl game predictions have begun to flood the interweb, even though only one game has been played for nearly every one of the 134 FBS teams.

Texas A&M’s 2024 season, which also marks the introduction of the Mike Elko head coaching era, started with a disappointing loss to the now fifth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Aggies fell 23-13 in a fierce defensive battle until the fourth quarter.

After surprisingly falling out of the US LBM Coaches Poll after losing to a Top 10 opponent, Elko and his staff are focused on helping starting quarterback Conner Weigman improve. The redshirt sophomore threw for only 100 yards and two interceptions in his worst career showing.

According to USA TODAY’s Erick Smith, the Aggies are now out of the playoff conversation and predicted to play in the Texas Bowl on December 31st against Iowa State, a familiar Big 12 opponent.

The Cyclones started the season off by defeating an undersized North Dakota team 21-3, as the offense struggled to find consistency after star running back Abu Sama left the game. Safe to say, Smith believes both teams will end up in the seven to eight-win margin if the Texas Bowl is the predicted matchup.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Where do the Sooners land in Athlon Sports’ bowl projections?

Oklahoma fans hope that Athlon Sports is underrating the Sooners heading into the 2024 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners are weeks away from beginning Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era.

Nationally, the media thinks Oklahoma could have a good season, but that ultimately the offensive line and a tough schedule will be their undoing. The Sooners landed outside the top 15 in the coaches poll to begin the season.

The expectation in Norman is to win championships, and the hope in Sooner Nation is Oklahoma can make the expanded 12-team [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] this year. It’s an uphill climb with a daunting schedule, but OU isn’t the place to be if you have middle-of-the-road expectations.

Athlon Sports, however, believes Oklahoma will miss the playoff in their preseason bowl projections.

With a new conference comes new bowl tie-ins. Gone are the familiar Big 12 bowls OU fans are used to. However, Athlon staff writer Steve Lassan thinks Oklahoma will end up in a matchup against a former conference opponent.

Lassan projects the Sooners will wind up in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, which is played in Houston on New Year’s Eve. The Texas Bowl tie-ins are the SEC and the Big 12, and Lassan thinks Oklahoma will be looking for revenge against the Kansas Jayhawks, one of two conference opponents that beat it last year.

For reference, the SEC’s representative in the Texas Bowl in 2023 was Texas A&M. The Aggies went 7-5 in the regular season before falling in Houston against the Big 12’s Oklahoma State, 31-23. With the expanded playoff, protecting bowl bids from previous seasons might be a lost cause: Eight more teams will earn playoff spots than before.

Still, the Texas Bowl would not be where OU fans would like to see their season finish. It is not even one of the top SEC bowls outside of the playoff. The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl bid is awarded to the first SEC team that misses the playoff. In that game, the SEC team faces a [autotag]Big Ten[/autotag] program. This projection lines up with Athlon’s prediction for the Sooners this season. It has picked OU to finish eighth in the SEC as has the conference media.

However, Venables hopes new starting quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] can get the protection he needs from a rebuilt offensive line so that he can spread the ball around to his many offensive weapons. Venables is also hoping his defense has taken another step forward and can become a force in the SEC. There’s talent at every level of the unit.

The Sooners are thinking much bigger than a Texas Bowl berth. Still, a rematch against Kansas would be a great opportunity to get revenge against the Jayhawks. Last year KU beat Oklahoma for the first time since 1997 in a 38-33 upset. The loss in Lawrence ended OU’s unbeaten season and ultimately was part of the reason it missed the conference title game in 2023.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss, live stream, TV channel, time, how to watch the Texas Bowl

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Ole Miss Rebels will face off in the Texas Bowl on Wednesday night at NRG Stadium in Houston.

This will be the 7th meeting between the two teams, with Ole Miss holding a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series. The Rebels have also won all three previous bowl matchups between the two teams, including victories in the Independence Bowl in 1986 and 1998, and a win in the Cotton Bowl on January 2, 2009.

This will be a great game on Wednesday night, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the action.

Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss

When: Wednesday, December 28
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

NCAA Football Odds and Betting Lines

NCAA odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were updated at 5:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss (-4)

O/U: 72.5

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Best bets for every bowl game, Pt. 2 (pre-New Year’s Six bowls)

Part 2 of our best bets for bowl season.

After a day off, bowl season picks right back up on Monday with the Quick Lane Bowl between New Mexico State and Bowling Green. That means its time for me to pick things up where I left off in Pt. 1 of my best bets for bowl season.

For those who tailed my previous picks, it’s been a good time. I’ve been picking a lot more winners than losers, and I hope to keep the good fortune on my side for 16 more bowl-game picks all the way up until the first NY6 bowl on Friday night.

Before we get into the picks, here’s a look at where things stand:

Bowl games to attend in the state of Texas

There are bowl games all over the state of Texas.

If you’re looking for a bowl game to watch in Texas, you’ll have plenty from which to choose. The Lone Star State will play host to multiple teams over bowl season.

The No. 20 Texas Longhorns and No. 12 Washington Huskies will play in San Antonio in the Alamo Bowl. The Alamo Dome has become a second home for Texas in recent seasons. The 2022 game will mark the third time the team has played a postseason game there in four seasons.

The feature in-state game takes place in Arlington for the Cotton Bowl. No. 10 USC Trojans will battle the No. 16 Tulane Green Wave. Tulane defeated the Big 12 champion Kansas State Wildcats earlier this season and has history facing a Riley coached team.

Riley faced Tulane at Oklahoma last season in a performance he would probably rather forget. His team will need to guard against a letdown against a rapidly improving Tulane program.

Here are a handful of bowl games to watch in the state of Texas.

Local legend Larry Catuzzi to be honored at Texans vs. Titans game in Week 8

Mr. Catuzzi was an integral part of the founding of the #Texans, and will be honored for his contributions to college football in Week 8

After years of making a profound impact on the game of football, local legend Larry Catuzzi will be honored at NRG Stadium ahead of the Houston Texans’ matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8 for his induction into the Bowl Season Leadership Hall of Fame. The team issued a statement on Thursday regarding the pregame plans, which included comments from members of the football community that reflected their high opinion of Mr. Catuzzi.

“We’re excited to honor some longtime valued contributors to bowl games and college football,” Bowl Season Executive Director Nick Carparelli said in the Texans’ release on the matter. “Celebrating friends like Larry who have given so much back to the game is always a thrill. He is most deserving, and we thank him for his dedication and service.”

While this occasion might not explicitly relate to the Texans’ on-field product, it is clear from the release that they are excited to have such a revered character in attendance for the game. According to the content of their release, Mr. Catuzzi had a prolific career in investment banking that enabled him to make serious contributions to the sport of football over the years that have had a profound impact on college football in particular.

The team also indicated that Catuzzi was an integral part of the team that enabled the Texans to build NRG Stadium back in 2002, which laid the groundwork for the return of football in Houston. Without his help, the Texans may not exist as they do today, hence their overwhelming reverence for the part he played in their founding.

Coach Catuzzi joins five other new members into the Leadership Hall of Fame class for 2022 including Richard Giannini from the Bahamas Bowl, Mickey Holmes from the Sugar Bowl, Tom Mickle from the Citrus Bowl, Jimmy Rogers from the Sun Bowl, and Ellie Ziegler from the Fiesta Bowl.

247Sports projects Texas to play in the Texas Bowl

Steve Sarkisian vs. Lane Kiffin would be an exciting matchup.

Getting back to a bowl game in 2022 is a priority for Steve Sarkisian and Texas this season. Last year’s 5-7 campaign was an unacceptable mark for a program like Texas.

247Sports’ released its updated bowl projections ahead of the new season, Texas is projected to get back to bowl eligibility with a Texas Bowl birth against Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss on Dec. 28. It would be the first matchup between the future SEC foes since the 2013 season.

Ole Miss is coming off a 10-win season with a Sugar Bowl loss to Baylor, but they replacing quarterback Matt Corral and a slew of offensive playmakers.

Texas last played in the Texas Bowl back in 2017 when the Longhorns took down Missouri in Tom Herman’s first year in Austin. Punter Michael Dickson took home MVP in the Horns’ 33-16 victory.

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Sporting News tabs Arkansas to meet next-door neighbor in Texas Bowl

The last time Arkansas played its projected Texas Bowl opponent was 1980.

Only one FBS football team is closer to the University of Arkansas campus than Oklahoma State. And none from any power conference.

Somehow, the Hogs and Cowboys haven’t met on the football field since 1980, though. But if the Sporting News’ predictions come true, that could change at the end of this year.

Bill Bender, writing for the publication, released his projections on end-of-year bowls earlier in the week. He has Arkansas playing Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl on December 28.

The Razorbacks have played in the bowl just once before, in 2014 against Texas, a 31-7 win. They were scheduled to play Texas Christian in the bowl in 2020, but the season the game was cancelled because of COVID-19.

The Razorbacks own the bowl record for fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed (59), fewest yards rushing allowed (2) and fewest yards passing allowed (57).

Arkansas was picked to finish third in the SEC West by the league’s assembled media last month. Oklahoma State was tabbed to finish third in the Big 12, as well, behind top choice Baylor and No. 2 Oklahoma.

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Way-too-early bowl game possibilities for Texas in 2022

Texas’ recent bowl history says they will end up in one of four destinations.

Texas’ recent bowl history tells us they will end up in one of four destinations. The Longhorns will likely play in the Texas Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Sugar Bowl or not be bowl eligible.

The most likely destination based on past history puts Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Their last two bowl appearances saw them playing in that game. Should they win eight or nine games, they will likely spend bowl season in San Antonio.

The worst case scenario should they make a bowl sends them to the TaxAct Texas Bowl. They would make it there with likely six or seven wins. Texas faced Missouri for the game in NRG Stadium in the 2017 season.

The most reasonable best case would put Texas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. To make it to New Orleans, the Longhorns would likely need nine or more wins and a Big 12 championship win. Texas defeated Georgia 28-21 there in the 2018 season.

Here are a few possible bowl matchups Texas could anticipate.

247Sports projects Texas will play in Texas Bowl

247Sports has the Longhorns going bowling in 2022 in a familiar place.

We find ourselves in that fun time of the calendar where we try to project what will happen in the next season based on preseason projections, and of course, spring football rumors.

As usual, there are plenty of positives coming out of Austin in regards to how Texas will improve, and while this seems to be a yearly event it likely has some truth behind it. For starters, it is hard to get worse than how Texas played in 2021, and when you consider the major haul of talent that the Longhorns were able to bring in this offseason there is no excuse for them to play as poorly as last season.

There are still uncertainties such as who will win the quarterback battle, how will the offensive line look, and if they will be able to generate pressure on the quarterback. Even with all these concerns, 247Sports still believes the Longhorns will be able to turn around their misfortune from this past season and make a bowl game.

They projected Texas to make an appearance in the Texas Bowl against Kentucky. Here is their reasoning behind this bowl selection:

These two programs have only played once all-time, that coming in 1951 (a 7-6 slugfest in Austin won by the Longhorns). Steve Sarkisian’s team is inside the preseason top 25 according to most way-too-early polls, while the Wildcats are in a similar position this spring and won 10 games last fall. For Texas, climbing out of the 5-win cellar has to happen for the current regime. Keep an eye on Bijan Robinson, who could win the Doak Walker.

It is unclear what this team’s ceiling truly is as it is unlikely that they won’t at least attempt to nab some more transfers, and we obviously have yet to see them play. A bowl game appearance would certainly be an improvement over 2021.

With the Big 12 up for grabs and Texas able to keep it close with the top teams last season, the Longhorns may have a legitimate chance to make a Big 12 title game appearance.

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