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Texas Bowl to feature Big 12-Big Ten matchup in 2010

By JENNY DIAL

Via: Chron.com

Oct. 13, 2009, 3:55PM

Brett Coomer

TCU beat Houston 20-13 in the 2007.  Texas Bowl before a crowd of 62,097.

Texas Bowl will feature teams from the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences beginning in December 2010, bowl organizers said Tuesday.

“When we took the bowl over in 2006, the vision was clear: to bring a BCS-match-up to Houston on New Year’s,” Texas Bowl manager Heather Houston said. “While we have had great success with our match-ups over the last three years, this new partnership with the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences guarantees our fans the chance to see two football powerhouses play at Reliant Stadium in 2010 and beyond.”

The agreement between the bowl and conferences is a four-year deal from 2010-13.

This year’s game will be held Dec. 31 at Reliant Stadium and will be televised by ESPN.

Fans who attend the 2009 Texas Bowl will receive first priority to secure seats for the 2010 game.

The Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field over its first three years. The bowl has generated an average $25 million per year for the Houston economy, according to bowl organizers. The bowl boasts over 25,000 season-ticket holders and sold over 50,000 tickets before its teams were announced last year.

Conference USA had a team participate in the bowl the past two years, Houston in 2007 and Rice in 2008.

“We have the greatest respect for the leadership of the Texas Bowl. Unfortunately they felt they needed to move in a different direction,” C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said in a statement. “We certainly enjoyed participating in the last two Texas. Read more.