The Baylor Bears have ended their 16-year bowl drought. The university announced today that they have accepted a bid to participate in the Texas Bowl, scheduled to take place on December 29th in Houston at Reliant Stadium.
Baylor enjoyed a successful regular season, being ranked in the top 25 before a three game losing streak to end the season knocked them out of the top 25 rankings. The Bears lost their last three to ranked opponents: the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas A&M Aggies and Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners. Baylor finished fourth in the Big 12 south, finishing the season with a 4-4 in-conference record. Still, the 7-5 Bears will participate in their first bowl game since 1994.
Baylor will face Illinois as their opponent in the Texas Bowl. The Fighting Illini finished the regular season 6-6 and were 4-4 within the Big 10 conference. Illinois lost their regular season finale, 25-23 against Fresno State on Friday.
Ticket information for the Texas Bowl can be found on its official website. Kickoff is set for 5:00 PM CST on December 29.