Photo: Valero Alamo Bowl
The 2021 Valero Alamo Bowl between #14 Oregon and #16 Oklahoma is set for Wednesday night in the Alamodome.
It will be the 8th meeting between these two teams. The first coming in 1958 and the last in 2006 when the Ducks edged the Sooners at 34-33 in the only game the two teams have played in Eugene. The Sooners had won the previous six meetings.
This is the second time the Sooners are playing Oregon in a bowl game. In the 2005 Holiday Bowl, Sooners linebacker Clint Ingram intercepted a pass at the 10-yard line with 33 seconds left to seal a 17-14 victory for Oklahoma. Thus, the last two times they have faced off the games have been decided by a combined 4 points.
This is the eighth year the Valero Alamo Bowl has matched up the top team from Pac-12 and Big 12 conferences after the CFP selections. The matchup has yielded six Top 15 matchups and teams with a median CFP ranking of 14.
Outside of last year’s shortened season, the Valero Alamo Bowl has hosted at least one 10+ win team, but this year is the first time in the Bowl’s 29 year history it has matched-up two 10+ win teams.
Pac-12 Conference teams are 5-9 in the Valero Alamo Bowl; current members of the Big 12 are 12-10.
This is the fourth time the Valero Alamo Bowl has hosted the Pac-12 Championship Game runner-up. In the 10 year history of the conference’s Championship game, the runner-up has yet to win their bowl game.
Each team has one San Antonio area player on their roster. Oregon’s long snapper Karsten Battles attended Johnson High School and Oklahoma punter Reeves Mundchau graduated from New Braunfels Canyon High School.
Eleven Valero Alamo Bowls since 2005 have been decided in the final minutes of the game including the 2017 and 2018 games that were each decided by two points.
There have only been three interim head coaches in the Valero Alamo Bowl history before this year. In 2009, Texas Tech’s Ruffin McNeil took over for Mike Leach and beat Michigan State 41-31 in what is still the most watched game in Valero Alamo Bowl history. In 2007, Texas A&M’s Gary Darnell took over for Dennis Franchione and lost to Penn State 24-17. In 2003, Nebraska’s Bo Pelini replaced Frank Solich and beat Michigan State 17-3.
Last year, Texas scored 55 points in their Valero Alamo Bowl win. Ten years ago, the Valero Alamo Bowl set the NCAA record for the most combined points scored in the postseason football game with a combined 123 points scored.