This is the third consecutive year the Bobcats have qualified for a postseason bowl game.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas State Bobcats are going bowling once again.
The Bobcats are set to face Rice in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Jan. 2 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. It is the third consecutive year the Bobcats have qualified for a bowl game after playing in the First Responder Bowl each of the last two seasons, which included a matchup against upcoming opponent Rice in 2023.
The Bobcats finished the regular season with a 6-6 record, starting the season impressively with a 3-1 record through four games, but ultimately finishing with a lackluster 3-5 record in Sun Belt Conference play. This season was the Bobcats’ last in the Sun Belt, as they are set to join the reformed Pac-12 Conference for the 2026 season.
Their opponents, Rice, finished the 2025 season 11th in the American Conference with a 5-7 record. They qualified for a bowl game despite having a losing record after multiple Power Four conference teams who finished with winning records – including Kansas State, Iowa State and Notre Dame – opted against playing in postseason bowl games this season. Rice’s most recent bowl game appearance came when they lost 45-21 to Texas State in the aforementioned 2023 First Responder Bowl.
The Bobcats will enter the game on a three-game winning streak, having won each game during that stretch by an average of 22 points. The Owls, meanwhile, enter the matchup having lost three of their last four games, including a pair of losses in which they gave up 56 points.