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The University of Texas (9-3) has accepted an invitation to be the Big 12 representative in the 2006 Alamo Bowl on Saturday, December 30 at 3:30 p.m. CST in San Antonio ?s 65,000-seat Alamodome. ?We look forward to welcoming the history and tradition of the Texas Longhorns to San Antonio for their first Alamo Bowl appearance to play the Iowa Hawkeyes,? said Bob Cohen, Alamo Bowl chairman. ?Under the leadership of Head Coaches Mack Brown and Kirk Ferentz, Texas and Iowa truly are the gold standard in college football and we couldn?t be more excited with this match-up.? This will be only the second time Texas and Iowa have faced off on the football field. The previous meeting came at the 1984 Freedom Bowl as former Iowa quarterback Chuck Long threw six touchdown passes in a 55-17 Hawkeye victory. This will be Texas? third trip to San Antonio as the Longhorns are 1-1 in previous Alamodome contests with a 37-10 win against SMU in 1993 and a 22-6 loss to Nebraska in the 1999 Big 12 Championship. The 2006 Alamo Bowl will also be Texas ? 46th overall bowl appearance, second all-time to Alabama ?s 53 appearances. In 2005 the Longhorns finished the season a perfect 13-0 and defeated then No. 1 ranked USC 41-38 in the Rose Bowl for the national title. Redshirt freshman and Texas native Colt McCoy, a member of the 2005 championship team, took over as quarterback in 2006 for former Longhorn quarterback and current Tennessee Titan starter Vince Young. McCoy passed for 2,262 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2006 to earn AT&T Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. McCoy is the all-time passing leader in Texas 2A history after throwing for 9,344 yards and 116 touchdowns during his four years at Jim Ned High School which ranks #4 and #2 overall in Texas high school history, respectively. Iowa quarterback Drew Tate threw for 12,180 yards and 113 touchdown passes during his four-year prep career at Baytown Lee (Texas) High School ranking #2 and #3 all-time, respectively. During Head Coach Mack Brown?s nine year tenure at Texas, he has led the Longhorns to a 92-22 record for .868 winning percentage (including a 23-15 record against Top 25 teams), nine straight bowl appearances, their second Big 12 Championship title and their fourth national championship. Senior defensive back and Thorpe Award Finalist Aaron Ross finished 2006 with five interceptions and two fumble recoveries (1 returned for a touchdown) on a Texas defense that surrendered an average of 58.8 rush yards per game, second best in the nation. The Longhorns outscored opponents 441 to 214 in 2006. The head coaches from both schools will make their first appearances in San Antonio on Thursday, December 7 (tentatively scheduled for 10:30 a.m. CST) during a press conference at the AT&T Alamo Bowl Golf Classic at SilverHorn Golf Club. Call-in numbers and satellite availability will be determined. Ticket prices for the 2006 Alamo Bowl are $30-$65 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (210) 224-9600 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Fans can also purchase tickets at the Alamodome Southwest Box Office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. ?San Antonio football fans should be excited to see the defending National Champions in the Alamo Bowl for the first time taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a game featuring two of the top Texas high school football quarterbacks of all-time,? said Derrick Fox, Alamo Bowl President/CEO. ?Over the last three seasons, San Antonio has hosted some the nation?s most-tradition rich programs in Michigan , Nebraska , Ohio State and now Texas and Iowa which we know will bring another great crowd to the Alamodome.? This year?s game will be the 14th installment of the Alamo Bowl. Since 1995, the game has matched the Big Ten and the Big 12 Conferences. This combination has produced seven of the Top 20 most-watched games in ESPN bowl history and has averaged a 4.5 rating. In 2005, the Alamo Bowl featured Nebraska and Michigan in a game that earned a 5.4 rating making it the most-watched college bowl game in ESPN history. In partnership with the Alamodome, the Alamo Bowl also hosted last September?s Texas A&M vs. Army game and will host the 2007 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship. To download the Alamo Bowl logo, request a credential or view a tentative media schedule, please visit the Media Center section of the bowl?s website at www.alamobowl.com. For more information, please call Rick Hill at the Alamo Bowl at (210) 704-6388 or (210) 394-9386.