By Tom C. "Midnite" Burke
TCU (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) and No. 16 USC (9-3, 7-2 Big 10) will face each other in the 2025 Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 pm (Central) on Tuesday, December 30, in the Alamodome.
ESPN will broadcast the game nationally.
Remember the Alamo, and remember the Sun Bowl!
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| Tom C. "Midnite" Burke |
It was TCU's first bowl win since 1957. The victory ignited the Frogs' resurgence in the late 1990's. TCU went on to win four conference championships in the next seven seasons and record double-digit win totals under Franchione and Gary Patterson in nine of the next 13 seasons.
Patterson had been TCU's defensive coordinator when Franchione was head coach, 1998-2000. When Franchione left the Frogs prior to the 2001 season, Patterson was elevated to head coach.
The Frogs' success as a Group of Five team, including an appearance in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl and a 21-19 victory over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2011, led to TCU being invited to join the Big 12 in 2012.
This will be TCU's third appearance in the Alamo Bowl, in which the Horned Frogs have a 2-0 record.
In the Alamo Bowl that was played on January 2, 2016, No. 11 TCU defeated No. 15 Oregon 47-41.
Oregon led 31-0 at halftime, causing many TCU fans to leave the Alamodome to drink away their sorrows in the bars and restaurants along the San Antonio Riverwalk.
In the final two quarters of the game, TCU quarterback Bram Kohlhausen led an improbable comeback by the Horned Frogs, accounting for four second-half touchdowns, including the deciding touchdown in triple overtime. His legendary performance earned him the game's Offensive Most Valuable Player award.
In the Alamo Bowl that was played on December 28, 2017, No. 13 TCU defeated No. 15 Stanford 39-37.
A 33-yard field goal by TCU's Cole Bunce, with 3:07 remaining in the game, proved to be the game-winner. An interception by TCU's Innis Gaines thwarted a final drive by the Cardinal with 2:01 to go in the game.
TCU last appeared in a bowl game after last season. The Horned Frogs defeated Louisiana 34-3 in the New Mexico Bowl, which was played on December 28, 2024, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
This will be USC's first appearance in the Sun Bowl, which has been played since 1993.
The Trojans finished 16th in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
USC last appeared in a bowl game after last season. The Trojans defeated Texas A&M 35-31 in the Las Vegas Bowl, which was played on December 27, 2024, in Paradise, Nevada.
The Frogs are 3-2 all-time against USC. The two teams have not met since the 1998 Sun Bowl game.
USC's head coach is Lincoln Riley, who took over the Trojans' program in 2022. He is 35-17 overall over his four years at USC.
Prior to joining USC, Riley was head coach of Oklahoma in the Big 12, from 2017 to 2021.
TCU was winless in five games against Riley-led Oklahoma teams:
- 2017: lost, 38-20, in Norman, Oklahoma
- 2018: lost, 52-27, in Fort Worth, Texas
- 2019: lost, 28-24, in Norman
- 2020: lost, 33-14, in Fort Worth
- 2021: lost, 52-31, in Norman
During the 2022 season, Lincoln Riley's brother, Garrett Riley, was TCU's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach.
After the Frogs' lost to Georgia in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Garrett Riley joined Clemson as its offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach.
USC has former TCU running backs coach Anthony Jones, Jr., on staff. He was at TCU in 2022 and 2023. He is the Trojans' running backs coach/run game coordinator.
USC opened as an early 6.5-point favorite over TCU.
TCU, of the Big 12, played two ranked teams during the regular season. The Frogs lost to No. 12 BYU, 44-13, and defeated No. 24 Houston, 17-14.
USC, of the Big 10, played four games against ranked opponents during the regular season. The Trojans won one (Michigan) and lost three (Illinois, Notre Dame, Oregon).
Here is a list of USC's wins and loses this season:
- August 30: defeated Missouri State, 73-13, in Los Angeles, California
- September 6: defeated Georgia Southern, 59-20, in Los Angeles
- September 13: defeated Purdue, 33-17, in West Lafayette, Indiana
- September 20: defeated Michigan State, 45-32, in Los Angeles
- September 27: lost to No. 23 Illinois, 34-32, in Champaign, Illinois
- October 11: defeated No. 15 Michigan, 31-13, in Los Angeles
- October 18: lost to No. 13 Notre Dame, 34-24, in South Bend, Indiana
- November 1: defeated Nebraska, 21-17, in Lincoln, Nebraska
- November 7: defeated Northwestern, 38-17, in Los Angeles
- November 15: defeated Iowa, 26-21, in Los Angeles
- November 22: lost to No. 7 Oregon, 42-27, in Eugene, Oregon
- November 29: defeated UCLA, 29-10, in Los Angeles
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