Texas Longhorns vs Colorado Buffaloes: Valero Alamo Bowl prediction and game preview.
Texas vs Colorado: Valero Alamo Bowl Broadcast
Date: Tuesday, December 29
Game Time: 9:00 pm ET
Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Network: ESPN
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Texas (6-3) vs Colorado (4-1) Game Preview
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Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The Valero Alamo Bowl
– It wasn’t all that long ago that these two were Big 12 rivals who battled in a few major conference championships. This year, both teams played a whole slew of very fun, very tight battles – six of the last eight games for Texas were by eight points or fewer, and every Colorado game was a fight. It’s a nice bowl matchup for both teams with totally different narratives.
– This is gravy for Colorado and head coach Karl Dorrell, whose team was stuck with several cancelations – it didn’t get to play USC – but put together a nice run to set the tone for 2021. Win, and this is the hot team in the Pac-12 going into next year.
It’s been a while since the Buffs won one of these bowl things, using the last three going back to the 2004 Houston against UTEP. That’s it since winning the 1999 Insight.com against Boston College. The program is due.
– Texas head coach Tom Herman was on a hot seat, got a “vote of confidence,” and now he’s in his element. Phenomenal in bowl games, Herman is 4-0 with a shot now to make his offseason a whole lot easier. QB Sam Ehlinger is playing his final game, the offense picked it up late, and for all the concerns and issues for a team that was supposed to be playing for big things, all three losses were just this close to going the other way.
Why Texas, Colorado Will Win
What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History
NEXT: Why Texas Will Win, Why Colorado Will Win, Texas vs Colorado Prediction
Why Texas Will Win
– It took all year, but the offense finally found its groove. It lost a heartbreaker at home to Iowa State, but the passing attack worked on the was to 448 yards of total offense. The team picked it up the following week with 608 yards and 69 points against a Kansas State team looking for something positive.
Super-recruit Bijan Robinson grew into a running back role, tearing off 113 yard on 12 carries gains West Virginia, and running or 172 yards and three touchdowns against Kansas State. He’s good, QB Sam Ehlinger has been in big bowl games before, and the offensive backfield should work just fine.
– Colorado does a whole lot of things well, but the secondary is about to get hit. The Texas backfield might be solid, but this should be when the passing attack goes off against a Buff defense that allowed over 300 yards in the first two games and only didn’t give up more over the next few games because it played teams that didn’t throw. Utah was able to balance out its attack with a 240-yard day out of Jake Bentley.
Ehlinger isn’t going to screw up. He threw 25 touchdown passes and five picks on the year and hit over ten yards per pass over the final two games. 3-0 as a starting quarterback in bowl games, he has four touchdown passes and one pick with 154 rushing yards and four scores. He knows what he’s doing.
– It’s been a theme early on this bowl season, and it’s not that difficult. The team with the 1) stronger quarterback and 2) doesn’t have a turnover issue wins. Texas has the better quarterback, and it doesn’t turn the ball over with just one giveaway over the last four games. Colorado turned it over six times in its last two outings.
Why Colorado Will Win
– Colorado has a star in RB Jarek Broussard. The freshman was worked from the start with a 31-carry day with three scores in the win over UCLA, and he tore off 301 yards in the win over Arizona. Overall the Texas defense wasn’t too bad against the run, but it had its rough moments.
It allowed over 200 yards three times – two times came in the losses to TCU and Oklahoma. Colorado has to maintain some sort of steady ground attack to pull this off.
– Colorado gets into the backfield. The pass rush was okay, but it found ways to always get behind the line to apply pressure and make big plays against the run. LB Carson Wells and company combined for 43 tackles for loss including 33 over the last three games. The Texas offensive line has been fine this year, but Ehlinger likes to try making things happen. That’s going to be a problem against this defensive front, which is a further issue because …
– The Buff defense was a killer on third downs. Usually, Texas is great at being able to keep the chains moving thanks to Ehlinger, who’s brilliant at fighting for first downs with his legs as well along with the short passing game. This year, not so much.
The Longhorns converted 49% of their third down chances in 2019 and over 46% in 2018. This year? 39% and didn’t hit 40% in three of their last four games.
Colorado led the Pac-12 allowing teams to convert 34% of their attempts.
NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Texas vs Colorado Prediction, Valero Alamo Bowl History
What’s Going To Happen
Really? You’re going to go against Tom Herman in a bowl game?
Colorado is an okay team that had a strong, shortened run in the Pac-12. It would be massive for the Karl Dorrell era if the team could pull this off and show that this might really be a player next year, but Texas will get up for this and close out the season with a bang.
Texas will be a whole lot like Utah was in its 38-21 win over Colorado. The offense will be just balanced enough to keep things moving, and it’ll come up with the key plays at the right times to take over the game late in the first half.
Colorado will have enough big plays defensively to keep this from getting out of hand, but Texas will go on a two good scoring drives in the second half to put it away.
– CFN Expert Picks For Every Bowl Game
Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas vs Colorado Prediction, Line
Texas 37, Colorado 23
Bet on Texas vs Colorado with BetMGM
Texas -9.5, o/u: 64
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
– CFN Experts Picks: Valero Alamo Bowl
Must See Rating: 3.5
5: New Year’s Day on the couch
1: New Year’s Eve going out
Valero Alamo Bowl History
Dec. 31, 2019 Texas 38, Utah 10
Dec. 28, 2018 Washington State 28, Iowa State 26
Dec. 28, 2017 TCU 39, Stanford 37
Dec. 29, 2016 Oklahoma State 38, Colorado 8
Jan. 2, 2016 TCU 47 Oregon 41 (3 OT)
Jan. 2, 2015 UCLA 40 Kansas State 35
Dec. 30, 2013 Oregon 30 Texas 7
Dec. 29, 2012 Texas 31 Oregon State 27
Dec. 29, 2011 Baylor 67 Washington 57
Dec. 29, 2010 Oklahoma State 36 Arizona 10
Jan. 2, 2010 Texas Tech 41 Michigan State 31
Dec. 29, 2008 Missouri 30 Northwestern 23 (OT)
Dec. 30, 2007 Penn State 24 Texas A&M 17
Dec. 30, 2006 Texas 26 Iowa 24
Dec. 28, 2005 Nebraska 32 Michigan 28
Dec. 29, 2004 Ohio State 33 Oklahoma State 7
Dec. 29, 2003 Nebraska 17 Michigan State 3
Dec. 28, 2002 Wisconsin 31 Colorado 28
Dec. 29, 2001 Iowa 19 Texas Tech 16
Dec. 30, 2000 Nebraska 66 Northwestern 17
Dec. 28, 1999 Penn State 24 Texas A&M 0
Dec. 29, 1998 Purdue 37 Kansas State 34
Dec. 30, 1997 Purdue 33 Oklahoma State 20
Dec. 29, 1996 Iowa 27 Texas Tech 0
Dec. 28, 1995 Texas A&M 22 Michigan 20
Dec. 31, 1994 Washington State 10 Baylor 3
Dec. 31, 1993 California 37 Iowa 3
