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Oklahoma State Football

Oklahoma State Heading to Houston to Play Texas A&M

December 3, 2023
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STILLWATER – The way the CFP Committee worked and the way the selection rolled through the bowl eligible Big 12 teams, Oklahoma State has landed in the 2023 Tax Act Texas Bowl, which will be played in NRG Stadium kicking off at 8 p.m. (CT) on ESPN. NRG Stadium will also be the site later of the CFP National Championship Game. The Cowboys will play Texas A&M (7-5) of the SEC. It is Oklahoma State’s 30th bowl game in the program’s history.

Tax Act Texas Bowl
Oklahoma State will look for win No. 10 on the season and winning this trophy in Houston.

Oklahoma State finished ranked No. 20 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings. The Cowboys dropped a couple of spots following their 49-21 loss to Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. 

The Longhorns win over the Cowboys helped to springboard them into the CFP Championship Top Four. The No. 3 ranking with a berth in the semifinal held in the Sugar Bowl against No. 2 Washington. 

Oklahoma landed in the Valero Alamo Bowl against a resurgent Arizona team. Kansas State was locked in by the folks in Orlando, Fla. to play Notre Dame in the PopTarts Bowl.  Oklahoma State had been to Orlando twice recently to play Virginia Tech in 2018 and then in 2020 against Miami, Fla.  Iowa State is playing Memphis in the LIberty Bowl. Texas Tech will play California in the Independence Bowl. Kansas will play UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. 

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Dru Brown diving in the 2019 Texas Bowl.

Oklahoma State has gone bowling over the years three times in Houston and this will make the fourth. Oklahoma State celebrated the 1983 Bluebonnet Bowl win over Baylor 24-14 in the Astrodome on Dec. 31, of that year. Rusty Hilger and Ernest Anderson helped spark that victory under head coach Jimmy Johnson. 

In 2002 Houston Bowl the Cowboys dumped Southern Miss 33-23 in what is now NRG Stadium. 

The last trip to Houston was for the Texas Bowl in 2019 and the Cowboys with a back-up quarterback in Dru Brown nearly beat Texas A&M before falling 24-21. That makes this year’s game a rematch of the 2019 contest.

This will be a rematch of that 2019 edition of the Texas Bowl.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
Mike Gundy is 4-4 all-time as a head coach with Texas A&M.

 Oklahoma State is 10-17 all-time vs. Texas A&M. Mike Gundy and the Cowboys sent the Aggies out of the Big 12 and into the SEC with four straight losses in the last four meetings as conference opponents in 2008-2011. There was the bowl meeting in 2019. A bowl meeting in the snow, yes snow in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. in 1981 33-16. 

Under Pat Jones and with soon to be Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders the Cowboys beat Texas A&M in the biggest margin either way in the series 52-15. Oklahoma State won the first ever meeing 3-0 in 1913 before A&M won the next six until an OSU win in 1954.

Mike Gundy is 4-4 in his head coaching career against Texas A&M. 

Texas A&M has Elijah Robinson as their interim head coach after firing Jimbo Fisher and paying him a $77-million buyout and then hiring former defensive coordinator and Duke head coach Mike Elko as their new head coach. It is unclear how the Aggies will approach the bowl game. 

"I am so proud of these young men for their effort and commitment to me, our staff, Texas A&M and to each other," interim head coach Elijah Robinson said. "Any transition is difficult, but this Aggie team is a brotherhood. I know they will give great effort and we look forward to the TaxAct Texas Bowl and we have great respect for the Oklahoma State Cowboys."

A&M finished the year 7-5 with non conference wins over New Mexico (52-10), Louisiana-Monroe (47-3), and Abilene Christian (38-10) with a non conference loss to Miami, Fla. (33-48). In SEC play the Aggies beat Auburn (27-10), Arkansas (34-22), South Carolina (30-17), and Mississippi State (51-10). They lost in games to Alabama (20-26), Tennessee (13-20), Ole Miss (35-38), and LSU (30-42).

Again, the game will be played on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. (CT) and televised on ESPN.

Discussion from...

Oklahoma State Heading to Houston to Play Texas A&M

5,956 Views | 13 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by NJAggie
pokeacola
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Well, thoughts on this matchup? A and M always has talent, not UT talent, but they will be tough. I imagine the better the opponent the more enthused our team will be. Gotta get #10
RodeoPoke
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well, that sucks (for me).

I was hoping to maybe take a trip, but I have no interest in visiting Houston (which I have done twice), and I really don't like the stinking Aggies, so double bleh for me.

GumbyFromPokeyLand
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I haven't kept up with the ags since they fired Jimbo except they have a new HC (Elko), new OC (Spavital), and lost their QB1 and a WR to the portal. Will the new HC and OC be there for the bowl? How are they at QB2? Any other losses? I know their defense is pretty good, but other than that I have no idea what to expect.
True wisdom is knowing what you don't know.
- Confucius
OT
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If OState were in the shape of A&M, we would be decrying dumpster fire.

We should be competitive unless we lose a star or two.
NJAggie
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There wasn't much snow that night in Shreveport. It wasn't even very cold.

This is a good game for OSU. Great press in Texas and a chance to get in there for another game.
Pistolp
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Here's a list of Big 12 Bowls in selection order, which Big 12 team is playing, and the season ending conference finish of each team:

1. Playoff Semifinal: Texas (1)
2. Alamo Bowl: OU (3)
3. Pop-Tarts Bowl: Kansas State (T4)
4. TaxAct Bowl: OSU (2)
5. Liberty Bowl: Iowa State (T4)
6. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas (T7)
7. Independence Bowl: Texas Tech (T7)
8. Duke's Mayo Bowl: WVU (T4)
9. Gasparilla Bowl: UCF (T9)

Looks like the Alamo and Pop-Tarts Bowls both passed on OSU. WVU was passed over by the Guaranteed Rate and Liberty Bowls, which have B12 affiliations, and was picked up by the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Since bowl payouts are shared the payouts aren't that important, just relative prestige of the bowls. I wish we still had the cotton bowl affiliation. I wonder if Big 12 bowl affiliations will change once UT and OU are gone.
GumbyFromPokeyLand
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1981 Independence Bowl - my first. I don't remember any snow, just chilly and occasionally wet.
True wisdom is knowing what you don't know.
- Confucius
RodeoPoke
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Pistolp said:

Here's a list of Big 12 Bowls in selection order, which Big 12 team is playing, and the season ending conference finish of each team:

1. Playoff Semifinal: Texas (1)
2. Alamo Bowl: OU (3)
3. Pop-Tarts Bowl: Kansas State (T4)
4. TaxAct Bowl: OSU (2)
5. Liberty Bowl: Iowa State (T4)
6. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas (T7)
7. Independence Bowl: Texas Tech (T7)
8. Duke's Mayo Bowl: WVU (T4)

Looks like the Alamo and Pop-Tarts Bowls both passed on OSU. WVU was passed over by the Guaranteed Rate and Liberty Bowls, which have B12 affiliations, and was picked up by the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Since bowl payouts are shared the payouts aren't that important, just relative prestige of the bowls. I wish we still had the cotton bowl affiliation. I wonder if Big 12 bowl affiliations will change once UT and OU are gone.
I'm pretty sure that UCF is in a bowl too... the Sasaparilla bowl against GT or some such.


Zach Lancaster
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Staff
Pistolp said:

Here's a list of Big 12 Bowls in selection order, which Big 12 team is playing, and the season ending conference finish of each team:

1. Playoff Semifinal: Texas (1)
2. Alamo Bowl: OU (3)
3. Pop-Tarts Bowl: Kansas State (T4)
4. TaxAct Bowl: OSU (2)
5. Liberty Bowl: Iowa State (T4)
6. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas (T7)
7. Independence Bowl: Texas Tech (T7)
8. Duke's Mayo Bowl: WVU (T4)

Looks like the Alamo and Pop-Tarts Bowls both passed on OSU. WVU was passed over by the Guaranteed Rate and Liberty Bowls, which have B12 affiliations, and was picked up by the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Since bowl payouts are shared the payouts aren't that important, just relative prestige of the bowls. I wish we still had the cotton bowl affiliation. I wonder if Big 12 bowl affiliations will change once UT and OU are gone.
I'm not sure about Big 12 affiliations, but I'd have to think most bowl affiliations will change with the collapse of the Pac-12. Big 12, Big 10 and SEC all growing in size will have to change things. Maybe the Big 12 will get the Rose lol.
RodeoPoke
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Zach Lancaster said:


I'm not sure about Big 12 affiliations, but I'd have to think most bowl affiliations will change with the collapse of the Pac-12. Big 12, Big 10 and SEC all growing in size will have to change things. Maybe the Big 12 will get the Rose lol.
It will interesting to see what happens, especially since the Pac12 will continue to exist potentially for 2 more years.

I suppose it depends on the terms of the contracts....


BOWL EXTENDS BIG 12 AND PAC-12 AGREEMENTS
August 31, 2016
The Valero Alamo Bowl has established a new agreement with the Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences to extend the existing relationships through 2025.

Pistolp
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Thx. That was "Georgia Tech vs TBA" when I checked.
NJAggie
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GumbyFromPokeyLand said:

1981 Independence Bowl - my first. I don't remember any snow, just chilly and occasionally wet.
Yep, me as well.
NJAggie
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Pistolp said:

Here's a list of Big 12 Bowls in selection order, which Big 12 team is playing, and the season ending conference finish of each team:

1. Playoff Semifinal: Texas (1)
2. Alamo Bowl: OU (3)
3. Pop-Tarts Bowl: Kansas State (T4)
4. TaxAct Bowl: OSU (2)
5. Liberty Bowl: Iowa State (T4)
6. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas (T7)
7. Independence Bowl: Texas Tech (T7)
8. Duke's Mayo Bowl: WVU (T4)
9. Gasparilla Bowl: UCF (T9)

Looks like the Alamo and Pop-Tarts Bowls both passed on OSU. WVU was passed over by the Guaranteed Rate and Liberty Bowls, which have B12 affiliations, and was picked up by the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Since bowl payouts are shared the payouts aren't that important, just relative prestige of the bowls. I wish we still had the cotton bowl affiliation. I wonder if Big 12 bowl affiliations will change once UT and OU are gone.
I get why the two passed on OSU, and I think this is fine. As for WVU, that bowl is in a great location for WVU fans, just like Houston is for us, so that was more about best spot for the team.

We're going to have to add some bowls, as I think those last two were filling slots from other leagues. Also there are a lot of PAC slots that will need to be filled. I hope we get the Holiday bowl slot back.
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