They finished the regular season atop the Pac-12's South Division, having only lost to USC.
The Longhorns were 1–3 against ranked opponents; losing to LSU, Oklahoma, and Baylor while defeating Kansas State.
This was Texas' fourth Alamo Bowl, tying the Longhorns with Iowa and Oklahoma State for the most appearances.
Texas entered the game with a 2–1 record in prior Alamo Bowl appearances.
at Alamodome • San Antonio, Texas Pound sign (#) denotes national championship game.