#10 Colorado and #12 Oklahoma State have accepted invitations today to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 29, 2016 at 8 p.m. CST in San Antonio’s 65,000-seat Alamodome.
#10 Colorado is led by Walter Camp National Coach of the Year Head Coach Mike MacIntyre. This was MacIntyre’s fourth season at the helm for Colorado. The Buffaloes won their final six regular-season games finishing the season with a 10-3 mark (8-1 Pac-12) which is the Buffs first 10-win season since 2001. Colorado will be making its second appearance in San Antonio. The Buffs were part of the first overtime game in Valero Alamo Bowl history, a 31-28 loss to Wisconsin.
“We’re excited to be invited to the Valero Alamo Bowl, and are elated that we will be playing in the program’s first bowl game in nine years,” MacIntyre said. “San Antonio is a wonderful town, I’ve been there many times, and our players will have a great time there. We look forward to playing an excellent football team in the 12th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. And it’ll be good for our fans to enjoy a match-up with one of the school’s former longtime conference rivals.”
The Colorado offense averages 32.8 points per game and is led by senior quarterback Sefo Liufau and junior running back Phillip Lindsay. Liufau, four-year starter and three-year team captain, owns or shares 87 school records, and needs only one more touchdown pass to become Colorado’s all-time leader. Lindsay, a second-team Pac-12 selection this season, finished third in the Pac-12 with 1189 rushing yards averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and led the conference with 16 touchdowns. Senior linebacker Jimmie Gilbert leads the Buffs on defense as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, he ranks third in the Pac-12 in sacks (10) and his six forced fumbles are the second-most in CU single-season history.
Designated the visiting team and occupying the west sideline, #12 Oklahoma State is led by Head Coach Mike Gundy. This was Gundy’s 12th year as Head Coach for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys, will be making their 11th consecutive bowl appearance, and their fourth appearance in the Valero Alamo Bowl. In 2010, on their last visit the Cowboys beat Arizona 36-10.
Junior quarterback Mason Rudolph led Oklahoma State’s high-powered offense all season and finished 2nd in the Big 12 in passing with 3,777 yards. One of his favorite targets, sophomore wide receiver Jalen McCleskey, finished second in the conference in receptions 69, while junior wide receiver James Washington finished second in the conference in receiving yards with 1,209.
Oklahoma State’s starting line-up includes five San Antonio high school products including strong safety Jordan Sterns, a product of this years’ state semi-finalist Steele High School.
“In addition to being home to a significant number of Oklahoma State graduates and a fertile recruiting area for us,” Oklahoma State Athletic Director Mile Holder said. “The city of San Antonio is the site of many good memories for OSU fans, and as history has shown, the Valero Alamo Bowl is a great bowl to participate in. We’re happy to return for what promises to be exciting matchup between two top-15 teams. We have a long history with Colorado and have a great deal of respect for the people there.”
“The Alamo Bowl has been one of the best bowl games of the post-season the last couple years,” said Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy. “San Antonio is a great destination for Oklahoma State because we have so many people there and we target that area in recruiting. We had a great experience there last time.”
This game will also reunite old rivals from the Big Eight/12 Conference days, as the schools have played 46 times in their storied histories. Colorado leads the series, 26-19-1.
The 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl will be the third consecutive Top-15 matchup the Bowl has produced and marks the third year of a conference agreement to match the #1 Big 12 and #1 Pac-12 teams outside of the CFP selections. The conference agreement started in 2014 and was extended this year to go through the 2025 college football season. With the caliber of teams playing this year’s game, the winner could finish inside the Top 10 by season’s end, which would be the fourth straight Valero Alamo Bowl winner to do so.
About the Bowl
The Valero Alamo Bowl will kick off on Thursday, December 29 at 8 p.m. CST. Tickets are available at www.alamobowl.com or the Alamodome Box Office.
Both head coaches will be in San Antonio on Thursday, December 8 for a 10:30 a.m. press conference as part of the Valero Alamo Bowl Golf Classic at The Club at Sonterra.
To download bowl logos, request a credential (deadline December 19) or see the tentative Media Schedule (including the head coaches’ press conference at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 8 in San Antonio), please visit the ‘Media’ tab on alamobowl.com.
To get up-to-the-minute information, follow the Valero Alamo Bowl on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat (@valeroalamobowl) or visit www.alamobowl.com.
