Bowl games might not be around forever as the sport becomes more playoff-centric, but the games are still great ways to kill time with family or at home from work over the holidays. Ten of the 13 FBS teams in Texas will play in the postseason this year with eight taking part in bowl season. Only Baylor, which declined an invite at 5-7, UTEP, and Sam Houston won’t play another game. Texas Tech and Texas A&M reached the playoffs. 

The eight teams not in the playoffs play across seven different bowl games with one intrastate matchup between Rice and Texas State. Let’s rank them in from least interesting to most interesting.  

9. SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: UTSA vs. FIU 

When: Friday, Dec. 26 at 2 p.m. on ESPN 

Line: UTSA -8.5 Total: 59.5 

This is the first bowl game of the season involving a Texas team and it includes two teams with a combined 13-11 record. The spread is also the second highest of any of the games on the list. The only one above it involves two Texas teams. The real stakes in this one are for head coach Jeff Traylor, who has never suffered a losing season in his entire career as a head coach. UTSA is 6-7 with a loss. 

8. Kinder’s Texas Bowl: Houston vs. LSU 

When: Saturday, Dec. 27 at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN 
Line: Houston -3 | Total: 41.5 

This one doesn’t do a ton for us because who knows what LSU’s preparation and care-factor is for this bowl game. It stinks for Houston to play in your own city and not get a free trip out of a great season. The Coogs can reach 10 wins with a victory and that would be an incredible accomplishment for Willie Fritz in Year 2. The Lane Kiffin circus will suck the air out of this one, unfortunately. 

7. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs. Texas State 

When: Friday, Jan. 2 at 12 p.m. on ESPN  
Line: Texas State -10 | Total: 59.5 

Rice reached a bowl game because of a high APR for the second time since 2022. This is the Owls third bowl trip in the last four years and the extra practices can only help them build on a successful Year 1 under Scott Abell. This is an interesting matchup because the Bobcats must prepare against a unique offensive style – Abell’s Gun-Option – while undergoing a search for a new defensive coordinator. The total is tied for the highest in any of these bowl games, so expect fireworks. Texas State’s offense should be at full strength with Brad Jackson, Beau Sparks, and Chris Dawn Jr. announcing their returns for 2026. 

6. Isleta New Mexico Bowl: North Texas vs. San Diego State 

When: Saturday, Dec. 27 at 4:45 p.m. on ESPN 
Line: North Texas -3.5 | Total: 55.5 

This would be higher on the list but we’re not exactly sure who is and isn’t playing in this game for the Mean Green. It does sound like every coach outside of Eric Morris, who took the Oklahoma State job earlier this month, will help North Texas prep and play in the game, so maybe that means guys like QB Drew Mestemaker will, as well. These two teams were two of the 10-best G5 programs in America this year and are a combined 20-5 on the season. The Mean Green offense led the FBS in scoring and the Aztecs were top five in stop rate, so that’ll be a fun battle. 

5. Trust & Will Holiday Bowl: SMU vs. Arizona 

When: Friday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. on FOX  
Line: Arizona -3 | Total: 52.5 

Two exciting quarterbacks who excel off-script square off with SMU’s Kevin Jennings and Arizona’s Noah Fifita battle in San Diego. Arizona was one of the more underrated teams in college football and would reach the 10-win mark in Year 2 of the Brent Brennan era with a victory. SMU hopes to erase the sting of the season finale loss to Cal that cost the Mustangs a trip to the ACC Championship game. 

4. Valero Alamo Bowl: TCU vs. USC 

When: Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. on ESPN 
Line: USC -6 | Total: 59.5 

This is a sneaky good game against two teams hovering around the Top 25. TCU can win nine games in consecutive seasons with a win, while the Trojans can get to 10 wins and build more momentum into 2026 after signing the nation’s top recruiting class last week. Vegas also expects it to be high scoring as the 59.5 is tied for the highest on this list. Josh Hoover vs. Jayden Maiava is a solid non-playoff QB battle and the Alamo Bowl is usually one of the best attended bowl games. 

3. Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Texas vs. Michigan 

When: Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. on ABC 
Line: Texas -4.5 | Total: 45.5 

This might be the best bowl game of the season. Both quarterbacks – Arch Manning and Bryce Underwood – will play because they should each return to their respective teams next season. And both teams are hoping to prove a point and finish strong. Michigan played an Alabama team that was hoping to rub a big bowl win in the playoff committee’s nose after a perceived snub and the Longhorns feel the same way heading into the Citrus Bowl. The Wolverines smacked that Crimson Tide team, however, and the Horns will need to show up and play at their best to win. 

2. First-round CFP game: Miami at Texas A&M 

When: Saturday, Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. on ABC/ESPN 
Line: Texas A&M -4 | Total: 51.5 

This will be the most entertaining game of the first round. Alabama vs. Oklahoma might be good, as well, but it won’t be fun to watch considering how bad the Sooners are on offense. Vegas agrees. The Bama/OU total is 40.5 vs. a 51.5-point total in Texas A&M/Miami. The atmosphere at Kyle Field will be electric, even for an early kick and the sheer talent in this game is worth the price of admission alone. Marcel Reed vs. Carson Beck. K.C. Concepcion vs. Malachi Toney. Cashius Howell vs. Reuben Bain Jr. Is it Jan. 20th yet?   

1. Capital One Orange Bowl: Texas Tech vs. TBD 

When: Thursday, Jan. 1 at 11 a.m. on ESPN
Line: N/A

Texas Tech will face the winner of Oregon and James Madison in the first game of the New Year. The Ducks are 21.5-point favorites over the Sun Belt champions so the Red Raiders will spend most of the next few weeks preparing for Oregon. The projected line of a Texas Tech vs. Oregon game is a point one way or the other. This would be an awesome 4-5 matchup of two high-scoring offenses versus two athletic and dominant defenses. In the famous words of Bart Scott…”Can’t wait!”