2025 KINDER’S TEXAS BOWL SET TO FEATURE #21 HOUSTON AND LSU
HOUSTON – #21 Houston and LSU have accepted bids to play in the 20th anniversary of the Kinder’s Texas Bowl, the bowl organizing committee announced today. The 2025 Kinder’s Texas Bowl will kick off at 8:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, December 27, at NRG Stadium. The 20th edition of the bowl will air nationally on ESPN, with national radio coverage on Bowl Season Radio and a local broadcast available on SportsRadio 610 (KILT-AM). This season marks the 12th year of the Big 12 vs. SEC matchup in the game, with the Big 12 leading the series 6–4 since the Bowl adopted the conference pairing in 2014.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome LSU and Houston to NRG Stadium on December 27 as we celebrate 20 years of delivering meaningful impact for Houston through our community’s biggest college football event, the Kinder’s Texas Bowl,” said Kinder’s Texas Bowl Executive Director David Fletcher.
#21 Houston will represent the Big 12, while LSU will represent the Southeastern Conference. The programs have met three times previously, most recently on September 9, 2000, when LSU earned a 28-13 victory over Houston. The 2025 Kinder’s Texas Bowl will mark the Tigers’ fourth appearance in the event and their second consecutive trip. The Cougars will make their second Texas Bowl appearance and their first since 2007.
Houston enters the Kinder’s Texas Bowl ranked #21 in the College Football Playoff rankings with a 9-3 overall record, its best record since 2021, with wins over Top 30 teams Arizona and Arizona State. The Cougars were the only team in FBS to go 6-0 on the road this season, the third time in school history they have gone 6-0 on the road. Houston won a ranked road matchup for the first time since 2017 when Houston beat #24 Arizona State in Tempe in late October. On the road, Houston’s defense held opponent offenses to 18.3 points per game, the 14th in FBS, while scoring 31.0 points per game on offense, 25th nationally. On defense for the season, Houston’s defense ranked 19th nationally in Red Zone Defense and 37th in Defensive Efficiency. Interior defensive lineman Carlos Allen Jr., leads FBS interior linemen with 75 tackles while cornerback Will James was the first Houston defensive back with 3+ interceptions and 4+ TFLs in the same season since 2015. On offense, the Cougars had one of the nation’s best improvements with its Scoring Offense jumping 67 spots up to 65th in 2025 from 132nd in 2024. Part of the offensive revival has been Comeback Player of the Year Semifinalist quarterback Conner Weigman’s 31 total touchdowns – 20 passing touchdowns, 11 rushing touchdowns – the most by a Power 4 quarterback with at least 10 rushing touchdowns. Tight end Tanner Koziol has been a top 5 tight end nationally yet again this season with 65 receptions leading FBS tight ends and 651 receiving yards ranking third among FBS tight ends. At receiver, Amare Thomas finished second in the Big 12 with 10 receiving touchdowns and 906 receiving yards and posted six touchdowns of 20+ yards, including three 50+ yard scores. Head Coach Willie Fritz is a George Munger Coach of the Year Semifinalist and the Cougars had 11 All-Big 12 selections.
LSU, the 2024 Kinder’s Texas Bowl Champion, returns for the fourth time in program history, entering this year’s matchup with a 7-5 overall record. Led by one of the top defenses in the SEC, the Tigers held opponents to fewer than 20 points or less eight times this year. Defensively, the Tigers feature the top secondary in the SEC as the Tigers lead the league in pass interceptions (17), passes broken up (50) and passes defended (67). LSU’s defense is also one of only two teams in the SEC to have more interceptions (17) than touchdown passes allowed (10). Offensively, Michael Van Buren took over at quarterback in November and has led the Tigers to a 2-1 mark in his three starts. Playing in place of an injured Garrett Nussmeier – last year’s Texas Bowl MVP – Van Buren has thrown for 743 yards and five TDs in six appearances in 2025. LSU’s running back tandem of Caden Durham and Harlem Berry have combined to rush for 951 yards and five touchdowns, while Barion Brown and Zavion Thomas have teamed up for 92 receptions for 976 yards and five scores. Tight end sensation Trey’Dez Green, who caught two TD passes in LSU’s win over Baylor in last year’s Texas Bowl, leads the Tigers with five TD receptions this year. Safety AJ Haulcy leads the Tiger defense with 88 tackles, while West Weeks has 74 tackles and 8.0 tackles for loss. Senior kicker Damian Ramos holds the LSU career record for field goals (69) and total points (404). The Tigers are coached by interim head coach Frank Wilson, who has guided LSU to a 2-2 mark since taking over the program in late October. LSU will be making its 57th bowl appearance as the Tigers have appeared in a bowl game for the 25th time in 26 years dating back to 2000.
In the 2024 Kinder’s Texas Bowl, LSU earned a 44-31 victory over Baylor. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier was named MVP after completing 24-of-34 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns. The game drew 72,220 fans to NRG Stadium and generated a total live audience of 4.2 million viewers.
Through the years, the Kinder’s Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field. Since 2014, it has been the most-attended bowl in the nation outside of the College Football Playoff games. The Bowl has also generated an average of more than $30 million annually for the Houston economy and has contributed over $2.7 million in financial support to DePelchin Children’s Center, the Bowl’s official charitable beneficiary and one of Houston’s oldest children’s charities.
Entering its 20th year, the Kinder’s Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, an event management company founded in 2003 that is closely affiliated with the NFL’s Houston Texans.
For more information about the game, priority access to tickets and Bowl week experiences, fans can visit https://www.kinderstexasbowl.com/ or follow along on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
About Kinder’s
Kinder’s is a leading provider of premium quality sauces, seasonings and other products for home cooks to bring restaurant-quality flavors to life in their own kitchens. Founded in 1946 by John Kinder, a WWII Navy veteran, Kinder’s has been obsessed with crafting amazing flavors that can help anyone, regardless of their skill in the kitchen, make incredible meals that will wow family and friends. Today, Kinder’s offers a wide range of products including BBQ sauce, wing sauce, premium seasoning blends and rubs, crispy coatings, stuffing, gravy, and more. Kinder’s is available at leading retailers across all 50 states and is now sold in more than 20 countries across the world.
For more information, visit www.kinders.com.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, two college volleyball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
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