The Alamo Bowl, first played in 1993, matches the second choice from the Pac-12 and the third choice from the Big 12.
The game originally gave an automatic bid to the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Ironically, in the inaugural game, no SWC team participated because only two of the conference's team were bowl-eligible and both of those were committed to other bowls. Iowa was invited -- and lost to Cal 37-3.
Memorable moments
• The 1996 game was marked by tragedy. Iowa linebacker Mark Mitchell's mother was killed in a car accident on her way to the game. The Hawkeyes, which defeated Texas Tech 27-0 in the game, wore plain black helmets in honor of her.
• In 2002, Wisconsin upset No. 14 Colorado 31-28 in overtime. The Badgers finished the season 6-0 in non-conference play -- and 2-6 in the Big Ten.
• The 2005 game had a wild finish. While a multi-lateral play was going on, Nebraska gave its coach a Gatorade bath before the play was blown dead. Nebraska won 32-28.
| YEAR | WINNER | SCORE | LOSER | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | California | 37 | Iowa | 3 |
| 1994 | Washington State | 10 | Baylor | 3 |
| 1995 | Texas A&M | 22 | Michigan | 20 |
| 1996 | Iowa | 27 | Texas Tech | 0 |
| 1997 | Purdue | 33 | Oklahoma State | 20 |
| 1998 | Purdue | 37 | Kansas State | 34 |
| 1999 | Penn State | 24 | Texas A&M | 0 |
| 2000 | Nebraska | 66 | Northwestern | 17 |
| 2001 | Iowa | 19 | Texas Tech | 16 |
| 2002 | Wisconsin | 31 | Colorado | 28 (OT) |
| 2003 | Nebraska | 17 | Michigan State | 3 |
| 2004 | Ohio State | 33 | Oklahoma State | 7 |
| 2005 | Nebraska | 32 | Michigan | 28 |
| 2006 | Texas | 26 | Iowa | 24 |
| 2007 | Penn State | 24 | Texas A&M | 17 |
| 2008 | Missouri | 30 | Northwestern | 23 (OT) |
| 2010 | Texas Tech | 41 | Michigan State | 31 |
| 2010 | Oklahoma State | 36 | Arizona | 10 |
| 2011 | Baylor | 67 | Washington | 56 |
| 2012 | Texas | 31 | Oregon State | 27 |
| 2013 | Oregon | 30 | Texas | 7 |
| No game played in 2009. Two games were played in 2010 -- one in January, one in December. | ||||
