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For the first time in its history, the Valero Alamo Bowl has secured a January game date. The 17th annual Valero Alamo Bowl will kickoff on Saturday, January 2 at 8 p.m. CST in a nationally televised game on ESPN unopposed from any other college or NFL football games on network television. ?This year?s calendar has provided us an excellent prime time Saturday time slot that will allow the Valero Alamo Bowl to reach a wide audience,? said Derrick Fox, Valero Alamo Bowl President/CEO. ?The January 2 date should also work well for people traveling to the game as they can celebrate Christmas at home and then spend a long weekend ringing in the New Year in San Antonio.? This will be the sixth Saturday game in the last 10 years, but the first time the game will be played outside of its typical December 28-31 window. The last two Saturday games rank as the top two sports crowds in Alamodome history with 65,875 attending the 2006 game between #18 Texas and Iowa and 66,166 attending the 2007 game between #13 Penn State and #18 Texas A&M. ?The January 2 date adds to the national prominence of the Valero Alamo Bowl as we?re thrilled to have such a prestigious space to showcase our Big 12 vs. Big Ten match-up along with the City of San Antonio and our title sponsor Valero,? said Gene Dawson, Valero Alamo Bowl Chairman. ?Our attendance should also benefit as fans will have more time from our team announcement date to make their travel plans.? In its 16-year history, the Valero Alamo Bowl has developed a growing track record of top ESPN ratings, capacity crowds and exciting games featuring two of the nation?s best college conferences in the Big 12 and the Big Ten. The 2008 Valero Alamo Bowl lived up to its billing as #23 Missouri withstood #20 Northwestern?s strong attack and secured a 30-23 overtime win. This marked the fourth straight bowl game whose decision came down to the final play. Since its inception in 1993, the Valero Alamo Bowl has hosted 1,131,739 spectators at 16 bowl games and three Big 12 Football Championships. Factoring in the out-of-town fans, the games have resulted in over $260 million direct economic impact on San Antonio and another $23 million in measurable media exposure from the 137 million viewers watching the national television broadcasts. This year, San Antonio will receive the additional benefit of a second college football game in the Alamodome as the Valero Alamo Bowl is also hosting the Notre Dame vs. Washington State game on October 31, 2009. Tickets for the Valero Alamo Bowl and Notre Dame games will go on sale to the general public through Ticketmaster and the Alamodome Southwest Box Office on Monday, June 15. For more information on the Valero Alamo Bowl and its Community Festival of Events, please call (210) 226-BOWL (2695) or visit the bowl online at www.alamobowl.com courtesy of AT&T. January 2010 Bowl Schedule: Friday, January 1 Outback Bowl Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Capital One Bowl Rose Bowl presented by Citi Allstate Sugar Bowl Saturday, January 2 AT&T Cotton Bowl (1 p.m. CST, FOX) International Bowl (11 a.m. CST, ESPN2) Papajohns.com Bowl (1 p.m. CST, ESPN) Valero Alamo Bowl (8 p.m. CST, ESPN) Monday, January 4 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Tuesday, January 5 FedEx Orange Bowl Thursday, January 7 National Championship Game Bowl Game History Friday, December 31, 1993 ? California 37, Iowa 3 Saturday, December 31, 1994 ? #24 Washington State 10, Baylor 3 Thursday, December 28, 1995 ? #19 Texas A&M 22, #14 Michigan 20 Sunday, December 29, 1996 ? #21 Iowa 27, Texas Tech 0 Tuesday, December 30, 1997 ? #16 Purdue 33, #22 Oklahoma State 20 Tuesday, December 29, 1998 ? Purdue 37, #4 Kansas State 34 Tuesday, December 28, 1999 ? #13 Penn State 24, #18 Texas A&M 0 Saturday, December 30, 2000 ? #8 Nebraska 66, #19 Northwestern 17 Saturday, December 29, 2001 ? Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16 Saturday, December 28, 2002 ? Wisconsin 31 (OT), #14 Colorado 28 Monday, December 29, 2003 ? #21 Nebraska 17, Michigan State 3 Wednesday, December 29, 2004 ? #22 Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7 Wednesday, December 28, 2005 ? Nebraska 32, #20 Michigan 28 Saturday, December 30, 2006 ? #18 Texas 26, Iowa 24** Saturday, December 29, 2007 ? Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17 Monday, December 29, 2008 ? Missouri 30 (OT), Northwestern 23 Saturday, January 2, 2010 ? Big 12 vs. Big Ten ** Ranks as the #1 most-watched college bowl game in ESPN history. Top 5 All-Time Alamodome Crowds ?66,835 South Texas Billy Graham Crusade, April 6, 1997 (free event) ?66,166 Valero Alamo Bowl, December 26, 2007 (Penn State vs. Texas A&M) ?65,875 Alamo Bowl, December 30, 2006 (Texas vs. Iowa) ?65,562 New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons, Oct. 16, 2005 ?65,380 SYLVANIA Alamo Bowl, Dec. 28, 1999 (Penn State vs. Texas A&M) –VAB–