What is the Alamo Bowl in college football? Date, venue, history and more explored

The Alamo Bowl has captivated college football fans over the years, making it one of the most anticipated bowl games. The game has built a significant history, becoming a core part of college football.

It consistently ranks as one of the premier bowl games, earning high ratings, boasting significant attendance, featuring intense competition and standing out for its philanthropic endeavors. With another edition approaching, let's take a look at everything about the game.

What is the Alamo Bowl?

The Alamo Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Established in 1993, the game is typically played in December. However, there have been instances of games played in January after the 2009, 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Initially, the game granted an automatic invitation to a team from the now-defunct Southwest Conference to play against a Pac-12 team. However, in an unexpected event in 1993, only two out of the eight SWC teams managed to secure the required six wins against Division I-A teams to become bowl-eligible

Since those two teams had already committed to other bowls, the Iowa Hawkeyes were extended an invitation to the Alamo Bowl instead. Baylor (1994) and Texas A&M (1995) were the only SWC teams that appeared in the game before it was disbanded.

Valero Energy Corporation has been the sponsor of the game since 2011, leading to its official designation as the Valero Alamo Bowl. Noteworthy previous sponsors encompass MasterCard (2002–2005), Sylvania (1999–2001) and Builders Square (1993–1998).

Who usually plays in the Alamo Bowl?

The conference tie-ins for the Alamo Bowl now feature the Big 12 and the Pac-12. The Big 12 has been involved in the bowl game since 1996, while the Pac-12 was involved from 1993 to 1995 before making a return in 2010.

Previous conferences that have been involved in the Alamo Bowl conference tie-ins include the defunct Southwest Conference (1993-1995) and the Big Ten (1995-2009).

When is the Alamo Bowl in 2023?

The 2023 Alamo Bowl is scheduled to take place on Dec. 28 at the regular venue, the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. This will be the 31st edition of the game.

While the participants are unknown yet, this edition of the game will feature teams from the Big 12 and the Pac-12 and be broadcast live on ESPN.