2019 Alamo Bowl
The 2019 Alamo Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2019, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. It was the 27th edition of the Alamo Bowl, and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. Sponsored by Valero Energy, the game was officially known as the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Teams
The game was played between the Utah Utes of the Pac-12 Conference and the Texas Longhorns of the Big 12 Conference. This was second time that the two programs have met; their prior meeting was in 1982, won by Texas.
Utah Utes
Utah entered the game with an 11–2 record, and ranked 12th in the AP Poll. They finished the regular season atop the Pac-12's South Division, having only lost to USC. In the Pac-12 Championship Game, the Utes faced [2019 2019 Oregon Ducks football team|Oregon Ducks football team|Oregon] and were defeated, 37–15. Utah was 1–1 against ranked opponents, defeating Arizona State and losing to Oregon. This was the first appearance for the Utes in the Alamo Bowl.
Texas Longhorns
Texas entered the game with a 7–5 record. They finished in a four-way tie for third place in the Big 12. The Longhorns were 1–3 against ranked opponents; losing to LSU, Oklahoma, and Baylor while defeating Kansas State. This was Texas' fourth Alamo Bowl, tying the Longhorns with Iowa and Oklahoma State for the most appearances. Texas entered the game with a 2–1 record in prior Alamo Bowl appearances.