Reliant Stadium is home to the Texas Bowl.
The year three magic for Gophers Jerry Kill is in full effect at Minnesota. With an 8-4 regular season with big wins over Nebraska, Penn State and at Indiana and Northwestern has Minnesota fans fired up. Led by senior All-American, Rashede Hageman, the Gophers will return to Houston for the second year in a row to play in the Texas Bowl.
The excitement has led to thousands of Gopher fans making the trip to Houston for the bowl game and an opportunity to get great seats from Minnesota-based Ticket King. Here is a Gopher fans guide to the Texas Bowl:
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Syracuse Orange
The University of Minnesota and Syracuse University will square off in the 2013 Texas Bowl. The Orange will fill the Big 12 position as an at-large bid representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Golden Gophers will represent the Big Ten Conference. The 2013 Texas Bowl will be played on Friday, Dec. 27 at 5 p.m. CST and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Tickets
Gopher fans are encouraged to get your tickets before heading to Houston and Ticket King has you covered with some of the best seats in the Stadium!
Pre-Game Party
The Texas Bowl’s official pre-game party featuring live entertainment on the Bud Light Stage, food, family activities and partner booths. Featured performances from each school’s band and cheerleading squad will build to the team entries into the stadium prior to the game. This year will feature another exciting concert from Bud Light Texas Country Artist Stoney LaRue! Come out early and be a part of the biggest pregame party in Texas!
History of Texas Bowl
The NCAA awarded a new bowl game to Houston on June 27, 2006.
The inaugural Texas Bowl was played in Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, on December 28, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. The Texas Bowl featured Kansas State from the Big 12 and Rutgers from the Big East.
In 2007, the Bowl featured a clash of old Southwest Conference foes, TCU Horned Frogs (from the Mountain West) and the University of Houston (from Conference USA). TCU won 20–13, and the game was shown live on the NFL Network.
In the 2008 Texas Bowl, the Rice Owls defeated the Western Michigan Broncos 38–14. The game featured two high-scoring offenses, but the Owls, led by quarterback Chase Clement, jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. This was Rice’s first bowl victory since playing Alabama in the 1954 Cotton Bowl.
The 2009 Texas Bowl saw the Missouri Tigers face off against the Navy Midshipmen on New Year’s Eve at Reliant Stadium. After the Tigers jumped out to an early lead, the Mids came back strong under the guidance of quarterback and Texas Bowl MVP Ricky Dobbs. Navy earned their first bowl victory since 2005 by a final score of 35-13.
The 2010 Texas Bowl opened a new chapter in its history as it moved up in the Big 12 selection order and formed a new partnership with the Big Ten Conference. In the first game of this partnership, the Baylor Bears ended their 14 year bowl drought by taking on the Illinois Fighting Illini. After a record breaking performance, Mikel LeShoure took MVP honors as the Illini defeated the Bears 38-14.
In April 2011, the bowl began yet another new partnership as the game signed a three year agreement to become the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. That December, the Texas A&M Aggies & Northwestern Wildcats battle to a close finish, but the Aggies were able to pull away late for a 33-22 victory.
In 2012, the bowl game featured a showdown between the Texas Tech Red Raiders & Minnesota Golden Gophers. The game proved to be one of the most exiting in Texas Bowl history, as the Red Raiders pulled out a late win on a knuckleball field goal as time expired.
In August of 2013, the bowl announced that the game will feature teams from the Big 12 and SEC, starting in 2014. The Texas Bowl will have the 3rd pick in the Big 12 after the teams are selected for the College Football Playoff, and will pick from a pool of five teams in the SEC, following the College Football Playoff and Capital One Bowl’s pick.