Why are Colorado, BYU in Alamo Bowl? Explaining intra-conference bowl game between Big 12 teams
Colorado and BYU football, two Big 12 teams, will face off in a ranked matchup for the Alamo Bowl, the bowl announced Sunday.
Huh?
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There are a list of reasons as to why two conference teams will face off in the postseason, which typically pits teams from different walks of the country to matchup. The Buffaloes and Cougars didn't face during the regular season in 2024, at least.
The matchup will mark the last game for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, who are both projected to be among the top picks of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Here's why Colorado and BYU are playing each other in the Alamo Bowl despite being in the same conference.
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Why are Colorado and BYU in the Alamo Bowl?
Colorado and BYU are playing in the Alamo Bowl despite both being in the Big 12 team because of conference realignment, as the Alamo Bowl has a pool of teams it can choose from for the game.
The Alamo Bowl was impacted by the Pac-12 reducing to two teams, as the game previously drafted one of the best Big 12 and Pac-12 teams that didn't make the College Football Playoff or New Year's Six bowl games.
To combat conference realignment making the Pac-12 a non-Power Four conference, the bowl now chooses a matchup based on a pool of Big 12 teams prior to adding Arizona, Arizona State, BYU and Colorado, and a legacy pool of Pac-12 teams, which includes last year's conference members.
Therefore, Colorado was picked as the legacy Pac-12 team, whereas BYU was selected as the Big 12 opponent.
The 2024 and 2025 Alamo Bowls will operate under the current bowl agreement, which pits Big 12 versus legacy Pac-12 teams. It's unclear how the bowl will select its teams in the years after the current agreement.
When is Colorado vs. BYU in Alamo Bowl?
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Date: Saturday, Dec. 28
Location: Alamodome in San Antonio
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why are Big 12 teams Colorado, BYU in Alamo Bowl?
