Stanford Selected to the 2017 Alamo Bowl, Will Play TCU

Stanford will play against TCU in the 25th anniversary of the Alamo Bowl. The Alamo Bowl is currently the most prestigious Pac-12 Bowl outside of the New Year’s Six.

How Did We Get Here?

Despite opening the season 1-2 (with only a win against the hapless Rice Owls), Stanford regained its footing and rattled off eight wins in its last nine regular season games. Stanford capped off the season with upset wins over #11 Washington and #14 Notre Dame.

Even playing on a sprained ankle for much of the season, Bryce Love had arguably the best season of a runningback ever. He broke Christian McCaffrey’s single-game rushing yard record with 301 yards against Arizona State, and is currently only 46 yards away from McCaffrey’s single-season rushing yard record; he also currently leads the power five in rushing yards (1,973). Should he play in the Alamo Bowl, he almost certainly will break McCaffrey’s single-season rushing record in the bowl game.

Coming into the the Pac-12 Championship, Stanford was ranked ahead of Washington (by virtue of beating Washington earlier in the season). Despite Washington not even playing this past week and Stanford keeping the game against USC close (and possibly only losing the close game because of poor officiating), the CFP still opted to leapfrog Washington over Stanford for the Pac-12’s second and final New Year’s Six Bowl, leaving Stanford to the Alamo Bowl.

Who Will Stanford Play?

Although this will be Stanford’s first appearance in the Alamo Bowl, TCU is no stranger to the bowl. At the Alamo Bowl two years ago, TCU made the biggest comeback in bowl history against Oregon. After returning from halftime down 31-0, TCU defeated Oregon, 47-41, in triple overtime.

Perhaps the most compelling match-up in this year’s Alamo Bowl will be an unstoppable force against an immovable object. Stanford’s 6 yards/rush presently ranks 4th in all of FBS, while TCU’s defense only allows 3.2 yards/rush, ranking its rush defense 8th in all of FBS.

On the other side of the ball, TCU will be led by quarterback Kenny Hill, who last year moved into third-place for TCU’s all-time single-season passing leaders.

How Can I Watch?

The game is on December 28th at 6 PM Pacific Time on ESPN. Or, if you plan to pack up your bags to visit the Alamodome, it will be at 8 PM local time in San Antonio.