How did CU end up in the Alamo Bowl against a Big 12 team?
CU was selected to play against fellow Big 12 member BYU in the Alamo Bowl despite both teams being part of the same conference. How this happened has to do with CU's previous conference, the Pac-12.
DENVER (KDVR) — No. 23 University of Colorado Boulder has been officially selected to play against No. 17 Brigham Young University in the Alamo Bowl, despite both teams being part of the Big 12 Conference.
This might cause some fans a bit of confusion, as bowl games are typically headlined by teams in different conferences.
The reason for this has to do with CU's previous conference the Pac-12 as well as its current conference the Big 12.
How CU ended up in the Alamo Bowl
In 2023, CU announced that it would be leaving the Pac-12 and rejoining its previous conference the Big 12 in 2024.
Several other teams in the Pac-12 also announced their intention to leave ahead of the 2024 season, leaving only two teams – Washington State University and Oregon State University – in the previously 12-team conference.
Because CU used to be part of the Pac-12 until this season, it is considered a Pac-12 "legacy" school for the purpose of bowl game selection. Pac-12 legacy schools include teams that are now in the Big 12, Big 10 and the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Because of this, they were not in the running for Big 12 bowl games and were only in the pool for Pac-12 legacy school bowl games.
This included the Holiday Bowl, Sun Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, LA Bowl, Independence Bowl, and, of course, the Alamo Bowl.
The Alamo Bowl has historically been a matchup between the Pac-12 and Big 12.
This will be the fourth time that the Buffs have played in the Alamo Bowl. The team does not have the best record in the San Antonio-based game, having lost all three of its previous outings at the Alamodome.
CU will play against BYU again in the 2025 football season. However, this time, the game will be a home game at Folsom Field.
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