No. 11 Utah Football to Take on Texas in Alamo Bowl

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(Photo by Justin Prather | Daily Utah Chronicle)

By Sammy Mora, Sports Editor

After a rough weekend, the University of Utah football team (11-2, 8-2 Pac-12) fell six spots in the final College Football Playoff Poll to No. 11. The Utes will take on Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 31 in San Antonio.

This will be only the second time in school history that the Utes and the Longhorns will face off. The only time the two teams have faced off was in 1982 when the Horns came out on top 21-12.

This is Utah’s first time playing in the Alamo Bowl. With this bid, the Utes have appeared in four out of the seven bids that the Pac-12 has. Under Kyle Whittingham, the Utes are 5-3 versus teams from the Big 12.

This is the third time that the Longhorns will take the short journey to San Antonio. Most recently the team took on Oregon in the bowl in 2013. Texas lost the game to the Ducks 30-7.

Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan had nothing but good things to say about the Utes’ bid to Utah Athletics.

“It is an honor to be chosen to play in the Alamo Bowl against a great opponent such as Texas,” said Mark Harlan. “It is an incredible opportunity to chase our 12th victory and complete what has been a phenomenal season. I know Ute Nation, as always, will be there in full force to support this team as they look to close out the season the right way, and celebrate their accomplishments with all Ute fans.”

“Having the opportunity for this team to play together one more time in the Alamo Bowl is something we are all looking forward to,” Whittingham said to Utah Athletics.. “We appreciate the invitation, and know our team and our fans will have a great experience in San Antonio. We are proud of all this team has accomplished this year, including winning a second consecutive Pac-12 South title and winning 11 games, the third-highest single-season total in school history.”

The other bowl bids for the Pac-12 are:

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs Wisconsin

Holiday Bowl: USC vs Iowa

Redbox Bowl: Cal vs Illinois

Sun Bowl: Arizona State vs Florida State

Las Vegas Bowl: Washington vs Boise State

Cheez-It Bowl: Washington State vs Air Force

 

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