Inside UH’s Texas Bowl Coup and the Real Story Of The Alamo Bowl Snub — Behind the Scenes Moves and Khator’s Willie Fritz Belief

The Texas Bowl always stood out as a preferred bowl destination for the University of Houston. The chance to play in their city and get the most out of the extra bowl practices without having to travel, getting to play a standalone primetime game two days after Christmas on a Saturday night when many people will be looking for something to watch and the player lure of getting a game in an NFL stadium all appealed to UH’s decision makers. As did the Texans’ Lone Star Sports & Entertainment’s well-earned reputation for treating its participants (particularly the coaches’ and players’ families) royally. But that does mean Houston’s path to the Texas Bowl, which included an Alamo Bowl snub, was easy.

It took plenty of maneuvering behind the scenes and making the case for Willie Fritz’s surprising 9-3 team as the bowl dominoes dropped in some surprising ways. In fact, at one point over the weekend with BYU losing in the Big 12 Championship Game and falling out of playoff contention, it looked like UH could be heading to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, which isn’t what anyone was looking for to celebrate a nine win season and a fourth place finish in the Big 12.

This is where UH athletic director Eddie Nuñez and his team stepped in, calling the Big 12 office, calling bowl reps, sending even more information on the team and the university out, “letting them know what we’re all about” as Nuñez puts it to PaperCity. Nuñez watched Kelvin Sampson’s University of Houston basketball team’s win over Florida State from up in the stands on Saturday night rather than his usual court side perch so he could be free to make and take bowl calls.

In some ways, the bowl process is politicking — even if your team’s case is strong, you still have to make it. Over and over again.

BYU losing and getting the Pop-Tarts Bowl eliminated one of UH’s possible prime bowl destinations. The Alamo Bowl’s decision to take a 8-4 (5-4 Big 12) TCU team over a 9-3 (6-3 Big 12) Houston team that finished ahead of the Horned Frogs in the conference standings but lost 17-14 head to head. Alamo Bowl officials told UH that there was concern that Cougars fans would only come up the night before — or even just the day of — the bowl game and that hotel rooms wouldn’t be filled during the week, multiple sources, including independent college football sources, tell PaperCity. UH being less than a three hour’s drive from San Antonio was held against it. But with TCU being a four hour’s drive from San Antonio that offered rationale does not sit well with many in Houston.

If you think that TCU over UH is simply a number of overall perceived fans thing or determined by UH’s 2025 home attendance, you do not know the full story

Eddie Nuñez himself declined to comment on the Alamo Bowl’s decision to PaperCity.

Alamo Bowl officials told UH that there was concern that Cougars fans would only come up the night before — or even just the day of — the bowl game and that hotel rooms wouldn’t be filled during the week, multiple sources, tell PaperCity.

Unlike the SEC, which assigns its teams to bowl games through the conference office from its SEC Bowl Pool after the College Football Playoff Selection Committee makes it selections, the Big 12’s bowl agreements leave those final decisions to the bowls working with the TV networks. Some member schools have urged the always-forward-thinking Brett Yormark to change that in the future.

The argument for a change is that non-playoff bowl decisions would be fairer with the conference office and Yormark in more control.

A Texas Bowl Win

Now, ironically UH is playing in the Texas Bowl, which has been the most attended bowl game in the country outside of the New Year’s 6 bowl games (now the College Football Playoff quarterfinal and semifinal games) since 2014. Houston is playing LSU, one of the most storied programs in college football history, in the December 27 game at NRG Stadium.

“I’ve heard a lot of great things about this bowl,” University of Houston football coach Willie Fritz says. “There’s a lot of things they’re going to do with both teams that are going to be neat. I’ve played some games at NRG when I was at Sam Houston State. . .

“We’re excited about playing here in town. Playing at NRG. Playing against a quality opponent like LSU. There’s a lot of things that can help us build this program based on playing in this Kinder’s Texas Bowl.”

The Texans’ affiliated Lone Star Sports & Entertainment being in charge of the Texas Bowl certainly did not hurt UH’s push to land its spot. Texans owner Cal McNair and his wife Hannah McNair, the vice president of the Texans Foundation, are strong believers in supporting hometown entities and they attended a UH football game together last season. This will be the 11th time in the last 12 years that the Texas Bowl has had a Texas university playing in it. That’s living up to the bowl’s name.

Nuñez is on the Texas Bowl board, but he could not be involved in any bowl board discussions about the Cougars being selected to play in the game.

“Our team here did a great job looking at every different thing — tickets, opportunities, fan base, interest, so we’re ready,” Nuñez tells PaperCity. “I’m glad it worked out this way that we’re going to the Texas Bowl because I think it’s going to be a great experience for our fans. And I think they’re going to show up.

“Being on the 27th makes it great because fans can enjoy the holidays here and it’s before New Year’s. The timing works really well.”

“We need to get everybody to believe in the possibilities that exist at the University of Houston. We have a coach to believe in. And we need everybody.” — UH athletic director Eddie Nuñez

What matters most to UH’s decision makers is that Willie Fritz’s program earned its way to one of the better non-playoff bowls with its play on the field. No amount of politicking can get you to 9-3. While expectations of making a bowl game looked realistic in Fritz’s second season, there is a big difference between reaching the minimum number of wins for bowl eligibility (six customarily, with several even 5-7 teams landing bowl berths this season) and winning nine games. And finishing No. 21 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

It’s the difference between squeaking in and kicking down the door and announcing yourself to the college football world.

This is why University of Houston chancellor and president Renu Khator, who carries a well-earned reputation for demanding excellence and is not afraid to do it publicly, is impressed.

“We are 9-3. Great record. Definitely I will admit it’s beyond what I was expecting,” Khator tells PaperCity. “And generally, I expect a lot. So kudos to Coach Fritz.”

For Nuñez, it’s about more and more people realizing what is possible for the University of Houston. How this is just the beginning of a Willie Fritz run that is being built for the long haul.

“It’s special,” Nuñez says. “Because Willie’s doing it right. When you’re developing a program, a sustainable program, you don’t just want to do things fast and have instant success. You want to do it right. And if you get the right kids and the right culture, you can actually take advantage of the process a little faster at times as well.

“From the perspective that we’re looking at it today, you kind of sit there and say, ‘Well, we took advantage of the things that played in Willie’s favor.’ And he continued to do what he does every day in building a program. It’s about one game at a time. . .

“We need to get everybody to believe in the possibilities that exist at the University of Houston. We have a coach to believe in. And we need everybody. This is about understanding that this city, this university, has every ability to be great.”

Every bowl may not see that yet. But the Texas Bowl does.

Houston is set to play LSU in the Texas Bowl on Saturday, December 27th at 8:15 pm. ESPN is broadcasting the game. General Texas Bowl tickets are available here. Tickets in the University of Houston ticket allotment will be go on sale at 10 am this Wednesday, December 10th here.