[2][3][4][5] The Falcons ran the wishbone offense and had the most regular season victories in program history with eleven, but a conference loss to defending national champion BYU at Provo on November 16 cost them a shot at the national title and an outright Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title.
[2] This Bluebonnet Bowl was the first at Rice Stadium since 1967; the previous seventeen editions (1968–1984) were at the Astrodome.
Nearly a dozen years earlier, Rice Stadium hosted Super Bowl VIII (January 1974).
[7] Air Force fullback Pat Evans had 18 carries for 129 yards in an MVP effort.
[3][4][8] The Falcons (12–1) finished in the top ten in both major polls (fifth in Coaches, eighth in AP), which remains their highest ranking ever.