The Texas Bowl, originally the Meineke Car Care Bowl, is the third bowl game to be held in Houston. The first, the Bluebonnet Bowl, was played from 1959 through 1987. The second, the Houston Bowl, was played from 2000-05.

After 2005, the Houston Bowl lost its title sponsor and had debt piling up. The NCAA and Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, a section within the Houston Texans of the NFL, took over game management and renamed it the Texas Bowl.

Memorable moments

• In 2008, Rice got its first bowl win since the 1954 Cotton Bowl when it defeated Western Michigan 38-14.

• Baylor ended a 14-year bowl drought in 2010 -- but ran into a buzzsaw named Mikl Leshoure, who ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns while setting five school records as Illinois earned its first bowl victory since 1999, beating Baylor 38-14.