As College Football Playoff rankings continue to shake up the postseason picture, three programs are making headlines in this week’s projections for the Valero Alamo Bowl: BYU, Houston, and USC. Each team comes in with momentum, standout players, and coaches recognized for their achievements.
BYU continues to impress under 10th-year head coach Kalani Sitake, who was recently named a semifinalist for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award. The Cougars (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) rebounded from a tough loss to Texas Tech with a dominating 44-13 win over TCU, marking BYU’s largest Big 12 victory margin since joining the conference. Senior Garrison Grimes, the team’s long snapper, also earned recognition as a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, making him the first BYU player to be considered for the honor. BYU heads out on the road to take on Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium in what promises to be a key matchup for playoff and bowl positioning.
Houston is enjoying a resurgence under coach Willie Fritz, who has led the Cougars from consecutive 4-8 seasons to an 8-2 record this year. Fritz was also named a semifinalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award for orchestrating one of the Big 12’s most impressive turnarounds. Senior kicker Ethan Sanchez, Lou Groza Award Semifinalist, has already made three game-winning field goals this season and leads the Big 12 with 19 successful kicks. Houston returns home to TDECU Stadium this Saturday to face TCU in their final home game of the season, aiming for their first nine-win season since 2021.
USC, led by coach Lincoln Riley, currently stands at 8-2 and heads to Oregon for a marquee matchup with College Football Playoff implications. Riley, a semifinalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award as well, has built a coaching resume that includes three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks and three No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks. Wide receiver Makai Lemon is also a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, capping off an impressive campaign that has earned him All-American midseason honors from various media outlets.
Media Projections:
College Football News: BYU vs. USC
ESPN (Schlabach): Houston vs. USC
On3: Houston vs. USC
Sports Illustrated: Houston vs. USC
Team Selection Rights:
For the final year of its current bowl agreement, the Valero Alamo Bowl will match up the first choice from the following two 12-team pools after the College Football Playoff field is selected:
- Big 12 Conference Pool – Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, and West Virginia.
- Pac-12/former Pac-12 Pool – Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, and Washington State.
As part of this agreement, the Pac-12’s current two members (Oregon State and Washington State) and the former Pac-12 members Cal and Stanford (ACC), Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington (Big Ten), and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah (Big 12) will remain in the Pac-12 bowl lineup for the 2025-26 season.
Bowl Eligible Teams (6+ wins):
Big 12 Pool:
- BYU
- Cincinnati
- Houston
- TCU
- Texas Tech
- Iowa State
Pac-12/ Former Pac-12 Pool:
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington
- USC
- Arizona State
- Arizona
- Cal
Game Schedule:
*all times CST
Big 12 Pool:
Saturday, November 22:
Kansas @ Iowa State | 11:00 a.m. | FS1
Baylor @ Arizona | 12:00 p.m. | TNT
Kansas State @ Utah | 3:00 p.m. | ESPN2
TCU @ Houston | 3:00 p.m. | FOX
Oklahoma State @ UCF | 3:00 p.m. | ESPN+
BYU @ Cincinnati | 7:00 p.m. | FOX
Pac-12 / Former Pac-12 Pool:
Saturday, November 22:
Washington State @ James Madison | 12:00 p.m. | ESPN+
Baylor @ Arizona | 12:00 p.m. | TNT
USC @ Oregon | 2:30 p.m. | CBS
Kansas State @ Utah | 3:00 p.m. | ESPN2
California @ Stanford | 6:30 p.m. | ACCN
Arizona State @ Colorado | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN2
Washington @ UCLA | 9:30 p.m. | NBC
The official team selection will be announced on Sunday, December 7 at 3:00 p.m., so purchase your tickets here to watch another Top 25 matchup battle it out Tuesday, December 30th at 8 p.m. in the Alamodome.