Betting on the Alamo Bowl 2006

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Alamo Bowl 2006 Game Details

Location: San Antonio, Texas
Date: 30 December 2006, 4:30 PM EST
Teams: Texas vs. Iowa
Televised on: ESPN

Alamo Bowl Betting Matchup

Nebraska will be hoping for a different bowl in 2006, but if they return to the Alamo Bowl, watch out. The Cornhuskers have won three of the past six Alamo Bowls, including last year’s 32-28 victory over Michigan.

Both teams finished the season at 7-4 and squared off for the first time since the Jan. 1, 1986 Fiesta Bowl, which the Wolverines won 27-23. Many observers predicted the Wolverines to play in a BCS game, but Michigan’s defense underachieved all year and allowed too many big plays.

The Cornhuskers returned to postseason after failing to make a bowl game the previous year.

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About the Alamo Bowl 2006

The Alamo Bowl is a post-season college football game played annually since 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. Teams in the middle of the standings of these two glam conferences – Big 12 and Big Ten – will meet again in the 2006 Alamo Bowl.

The 2005 Alamo Bowl was played on 28 December 2005 at the 65,000-seat Alamodome. The Michigan Wolverines of the NCAA’s Big Ten Conference and Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big 12 Conference accepted their respective invitations to play in the 2005 Alamo Bowl.

The Wolverines and Cornhuskers had not met since the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, which Michigan won 27-23. Michigan and Nebraska had met in five previous games, with Nebraska’s only win coming in 1962.

History of the Alamo Bowl

The Alamo Bowl customarily features the fourth-place teams from NCAA football's Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences. The game has been previously known as the Builders Square Alamo Bowl (1993-1998) and the Sylvania Alamo Bowl (1999-2001). Since 2002 the game has been officially known as the MasterCard Alamo Bowl.

The inaugural Builders Square Alamo Bowl, played on New Year's Eve 1993, featured the University of California and the University of Iowa. California took an early 9-0 lead on the strength of three field goals, kicked from 37, 20 and 30 yards. Iowa's only score of the game came in the third quarter on a 42-yard field goal from Brion Hurley - very much too little, too late as the Bears marched on to a 37-3 victory.

1994 saw Washington State pitted against the Baylor Bears in another New Year's Eve game. This defensive battle saw the two teams combine for a mere 13 points, with Washington State prevailing over Baylor 10-3. With minutes left in the fourth, Baylor had an opportunity to get back in the game with a first down on the Washington State seven yard line, but the Bears' hopes were foiled when Washington's Todd Jensen intercepted a Baylor pass in the end zone with only 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Texas A&M and Michigan met in the 1995 Alamo Bowl, a game dominated by field goals. Kyle Bryant of the Aggies kicked a record five field goals in the game, earning him the game Offensive MVP title. Despite a Michigan touchdown with seconds left in the game, Texas went on to win 22-20 in their first bowl victory since the 1990 Holiday Bowl.

The 1996 Alamo Bowl featured a return visit from Iowa, this time against Texas Tech. In a near reversal of their 1993 performance, the Hawkeyes shutout Texas 27-0. Dominating the game from the outset, Iowa broke or tied 12 bowl records in their march to victory.

The 1997 Builders Square Alamo Bowl pitted #24 Oklahoma State against #16 Purdue. Neither team had seen postseason play since the 1980s. The Boilermakers' Billy Dicken threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Purdue ended its 17-year postseason drought with a 33-20 victory over the Cowboys.

Purdue was back for the 1998 Alamo Bowl, this time against #4-ranked Kansas State. This exciting game broke a number of records, including the record for combined score (71). After struggling in the game's early stages, Purdue quarterback Drew Bees found his stride, and ended up sealing the 37-34 victory for the Boilermakers with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Jones with only 30 seconds remaining.

The 1999 game - now the Sylvania Alamo Bowl - saw Penn State pitted against Texas A&M in an embarrassing outing for the Aggies. Penn State's first quarter touchdown on an interception return turned out to be all that was needed, as the Lions went on to defeat Texas 24-0.

Nebraska and Northwestern took to the field for the 2000 Alamo Bowl, with the Wildcats gunning for their first bowl victory since 1949. But Northwestern saw their hopes fade with each successful Nebraska scoring drive. Already trailing 38-17 at halftime, the Wildcats allowed three unanswered Nebraska touchdowns in the third, and ended up being routed 66-17.

Iowa and Texas Tech were the teams of choice in 2001, in a rematch of their 1996 Alamo Bowl meeting. Leading late in the game, the Aggies saw their second Alamo Bowl hopes dashed when Iowa's Nate Kaeding kicked a 47-yard field goal with 44 seconds left. Iowa's 19-16 victory was their first bowl win in five years.

The 2002 game - now the MasterCard Alamo Bowl - proved to be even closer, with the matchup between Wisconsin and Colorado decided in overtime. Trailing 28-21 in the fourth quarter, the Badgers tied the game on a one-yard touchdown from senior Brooks Bollinger. Kicker Mike Allen secured the 31-28 win for Wisconsin with a 37-yard field goal in overtime.

In 2003 Nebraska returned to the Alamo Bowl against opponents Michigan State. The much-vaunted Spartans' offense was all but shut down by the Cornhuskers' defense as they allowed a single Michigan State field goal. Nebraska's Cory Ross ran for a career-high 138 yards on 37 carries, as he carried his team to a 17-3 victory.

The 2004 Alamo Bowl pitted Oklahoma State against Ohio State in front of over 65,000 fans. Second-string Ohio State quarterback Justin Zwick, replacing the injured Troy Smith, had no problem leading the Buckeyes to a 33-7 win. Oklahoma's only points came on 4-yard touchdown run by Shawn Willis midway through the fourth, with the game already out of the Cowboys' reach.

In 2005, Nebraska overcame an 11-point deficit to beat Michigan 32-28. The game ended on a wild note, as the Wolverines lateralled eight times after a game-ending reception. They were finally tackled inside the 15 yard line, preserving the Nebraska victory. Cory Ross ran for 161 yards for Nebraska, whose players trumpeted that the victory signaled their return to college football’s elite.

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