Texas Football Bowl History: Record, Results and Appearances

Texas has played 63 postseason games and won 34, a record that sits just above .500 and is the weakest of the four winningest programs in the sport. Twenty two of those games were Cotton Bowls, the most by any school, because for half a century the Southwest Conference champion went to Dallas and nowhere else.

Every Texas Bowl Game

Listed by season. Gold rows are national championship seasons. Red rows are championship game losses.

Twenty Two Cotton Bowls

Texas has played the Cotton Bowl 22 times, more than any other school, and is 11 wins, 10 losses and a tie in them. The reason is structural. From 1941 the Southwest Conference champion was contractually sent to Dallas, and Texas won the SWC 27 times. For most of the Royal era the Cotton Bowl was the only postseason destination available, and the programme’s biggest January games, including the 1963 and 1969 national championship clinchers and the 1970 and 1977 losses that cost titles, were all played there.

The Two Rose Bowls

Texas played its first Rose Bowl after the 2004 season and won 38 to 37 over Michigan on a Dusty Mangum field goal as time expired, with Vince Young accounting for five touchdowns. A year later, in the same stadium, Young’s fourth and five scramble with 19 seconds left beat two time defending champion USC 41 to 38 for the national title. Our national championships page covers that game.

The programme’s only other Rose Bowl, the 2009 championship game against Alabama, ended 37 to 21 after Colt McCoy was injured on the fifth play.

The Notre Dame Problem

Texas is 1 and 2 against Notre Dame in bowls and both losses cost a national championship. The 1970 team was unbeaten and ranked first when Notre Dame won the Cotton Bowl 24 to 11, ending a 30 game winning streak. The 1977 team, with Heisman winner Earl Campbell, was unbeaten and ranked first when Notre Dame won 38 to 10. The one win, 21 to 17 in the 1969 season, delivered a title of its own.

The Alabama Record

Texas is unbeaten against Alabama in traditional bowl games: four wins and a tie across five meetings, from the 1947 Sugar Bowl through the 1981 Cotton Bowl. The one loss came in the 2009 championship game, which is why Alabama’s own bowl history lists the Longhorns as a problem opponent. Our Alabama bowl history page shows the same games from the other side.

The Playoff Era

Texas reached the playoff in 2023 and 2024 and lost in the semifinals both times, to Washington in the Sugar Bowl and to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The 2024 run included the programme’s first playoff wins, over Clemson and Arizona State, the latter in double overtime. The 2025 team fell short of the playoff and beat Michigan 41 to 27 in the Citrus Bowl. Our College Football Playoff results page has every championship game.

The Bottom Line

Texas is 34 and 27 with 2 ties across 63 postseason games. Twenty two of them were Cotton Bowls, a record for any school. The 2005 Rose Bowl is the programme’s defining win and the 1970 and 1977 Cotton Bowls, both lost to Notre Dame, its most costly defeats. Our page on most bowl appearances shows where Texas ranks.