Texas A&M selected to play Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl

For the 43rd time in program history, the Maroon & White are going bowling.

The 17th edition of the TaxAct Texas Bowl will feature Texas A&M (7-5) of the Southeastern Conference and Oklahoma State (9-4) of the Big 12 on Wednesday, Dec. 27, at NRG Stadium in Houston, bowl officials announced Sunday afternoon.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will be televised via ESPN.

Somewhat surprisingly, this will be A&M’s first bowl appearance since defeating North Carolina 41-27 in the 2021 Orange Bowl. They received a bid 11 months later to participate in the Gator Bowl vs. Wake Forest on New Year’s Eve but abruptly backed out days before due to a team-wide COVID-19 outbreak and injuries.

Overall, Texas A&M is 20-22 in bowl games and has become relatively familiar with the Texas Bowl. In 2016, the Aggies lost to Kansas State 33-28. In 2019, they narrowly survived a fourth-quarter rally by Oklahoma State 24-21. A&M also participated in the 2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, defeating Northwestern, 33-22.

From 2009-2021, A&M’s 13 consecutive bowl-eligible seasons marked a program record before a disappointing 5-7 showing in 2022 deemed them ineligible.

It was almost the same case this year.

Another low-performing campaign saw head coach Jimbo Fisher‘s dismissal following a 51-10 victory over Mississippi State at Kyle Field. Assistant head coach Elijah Robinson was then elevated to interim head coach and guided the Aggies to a win over Abilene Christian before ending the regular season with a 42-30 loss at then-No. 14 LSU.

Finishing 4-4 in conference play, the Aggies placed fourth in the SEC West and hired former defensive coordinator Mike Elko to lead the program back to title contention.

During Elko’s introductory press conference on Monday, Texas A&M Director of Athletics Ross Bjork said Robinson will coach the Aggies in the upcoming bowl game. 

First meeting in 1914, A&M owns the all-time series against Oklahoma State 18-9. Under 19th-year head coach Mike Gundy, OSU fell to then-No. 7 Texas 49-21 in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium. The Pokes collected three top-25 wins this year, including a 40-34 double-overtime victory over BYU to close the regular season.

Before the 2019 Texas Bowl, the Aggies also defeated the Cowboys in the 1981 Independence Bowl.

Despite a season mired in uncertainty and frustration, Texas A&M will see a postseason end before the beginning of a new era.