Midnite Madness with Tom Burke When the Alamo Bowl Feels Like a ‘Participation Trophy’ for TCU Football

This is part 1 of a two-part op-ed examining how today's college football has changed the meaning of bowl games and why TCU's Alamo Bowl matchup still carries significance.

Dec 28, 2017; San Antonio, TX, United States; TCU Horned Frogs defensive end Ben Banogu (15) and tight end Cole Hunt (81) kiss the championship trophy after the 2017 Alamo Bowl against the Stanford Cardinal at Alamodome. TCU defeated Stanford 39-37. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As TCU football fans surely know, but may not care, the Horned Frogs are playing 16th-ranked USC in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on December 30.

The continued heavy marketing of tickets for the game perhaps indicates that ticket sales may not be going too well. That wouldn’t be surprising.

TCU starting quarterback Josh Hoover has announced that he will enter the transfer portal in January and won’t be with the team in San Antonio. Hoover earned his bachelor's degree from TCU in May of 2025 and has one year of eligibility left.

Overall, interest in the overabundance of postseason bowl games has been waning in recent years, particularly since the expansion of the College Football Playoffs. After all, if the Horned Frogs aren’t one of the 12 teams in the playoffs, what is the value of a bowl game as a thanks-for-participating gift? Frankly, about as much as a Mr. Coffee coffee-maker as a parting gift on a TV game show.

Why the Alamo Bowl Still Matters for Programs Like TCU

There is, of course, some extra significance to the Horned Frogs (8-4 overall, 5-4 Big 12) being in the Alamo Bowl and their opponent being the Trojans (9-3 overall, 7-2 Big 10).

Return on Sunday for Part 2 of this op-ed, as it looks back at why the Alamo Bowl still matters to TCU, tracing the moments and figures that helped define the program.

Players From TCU's Past Weigh In on the Alamo Bowl Rematch

[Language Warning] Landry Burdine, Basil Mitchell, and London Dunlap join the podcast to reflect on TCU's 1998 Sun Bowl victory over USC ahead of the Frog's upcoming Alamo Bowl matchup. The trio share some great stories of that game and discuss how the win served as a turning point for the TCU football program. You don't want to miss this one! | KillerFrogs.com