About the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
A Celebration of the Culture, Heritage and Football Tradition of the Lone Star State.
Our vision is to create a thrilling fan experience, deliver a memorable conference, school and athlete experience, positively impact our charity partner and establish Houston as one of the great bowl cities in America.
A Big-Ol’ Texas-Sized Bowl Game!
The NCAA awarded a new bowl game to Houston on June 27, 2006.
The inaugural Texas Bowl was played in Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, on December 28, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. The Texas Bowl featured Kansas State from the Big 12 and Rutgers from the Big East.
In 2007, the Bowl featured a clash of old Southwest Conference foes, TCU Horned Frogs (from the Mountain West) and the University of Houston (from Conference USA). TCU won 20–13, and the game was shown live on the NFL Network.
In the 2008 Texas Bowl, the Rice Owls defeated the Western Michigan Broncos 38–14. The game featured two high-scoring offenses, but the Owls, led by quarterback Chase Clement, jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. This was Rice’s first bowl victory since playing Alabama in the 1954 Cotton Bowl.
The 2009 Texas Bowl saw the Missouri Tigers face off against the Navy Midshipmen on New Year’s Eve at Reliant Stadium. After the Tigers jumped out to an early lead, the Mids came back strong under the guidance of quarterback and Texas Bowl MVP Ricky Dobbs. Navy earned their first bowl victory since 2005 by a final score of 35-13.
The 2010 Texas Bowl opened a new chapter in its history as it moved up in the Big 12 selection order and formed a new partnership with the Big Ten Conference. In the first game of this partnership, the Baylor Bears ended their 14 year bowl drought by taking on the Illinois Fighting Illini. After a record breaking performance, Mikel LeShoure took MVP honors as the Illini defeated the Bears 38-14.
In April 2011, the bowl began yet another new partnership as the game signed a three year agreement to become the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. For more information on this announcement, please click here.
Quick Facts
2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
- Date: Saturday, December 31, 2011, 11:00am CST
- Television: ESPN
- Conferences: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
- Result:
- MVP:
- Attendance:
2010 Texas Bowl
- Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2010, 5:00pm CST
- Television: ESPN
- Conferences: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
- Result: Illinois 38, Baylor 14
- MVP: Mikel Leshoure, Illinois
- Attendance: 68,211
2009 Texas Bowl
- Date: Thursday, December 31, 2009, 2:30pm CST
- Television: ESPN
- Conferences: Big 12 vs. Navy
- Result: Navy 35, Missouri 13
- MVP: Ricky Dobbs, Navy
2008 Texas Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2008
- Television: NFL Network
- Conferences: At-Large (Mid-American) vs. Conference USA
- Result: Rice 38, Western Michigan 14
- MVP: Chase Clement, Rice
- Attendance: 58,880
2007 Texas Bowl
- Date: Friday, December 28, 2007
- Television: NFL Network
- Conferences: Mountain West vs. Conference USA
- Result: TCU 20, Houston 13
- MVP: Andy Dalton, TCU
- Attendance: 62,097
2006 Inaugural Texas Bowl
- Date: Thursday, December 28, 2006
- Television: NFL Network
- Conferences: Big 12 vs. Big East
- Result: #16 Rutgers 37, Kansas State 10
- MVP: Ray Rice, Rutgers
- Attendance: 52,210
More about the Texas Bowl
Official Fan Guide Houston
Let us help you plan your visit. Download the official 2011 Meineke Car Bowl of Texas Fan Guide here:
- Official Fan Guide (PDF, 3.6MB)
Links
- DePelchin Children’s Center
- Lone Star Sports & Entertainment
- Houston Texans
- Big 12 Sports
- Big Ten Athletics — Football
- Football Bowl Association





