The 2025 Texas Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 27, 2025, at the NRG Stadium located in Houston, Texas. The 19th annual Texas Bowl game began at approximately 8:15 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. The Texas Bowl was one of the 2025âÂÂ26 bowl games concluding the 2025 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by Kinder's, a maker of barbecue sauce and other seasonings, and officially known as the Kinder's Texas Bowl.
The Houston Cougars from the Big 12 Conference defeated the LSU Tigers from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) by a 38âÂÂ35 score.
Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game was played between a team from the Big 12 Conference, Houston, and a team from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), LSU. Prior to the Texas Bowl, the teams had played three times, most recently in 2000, with LSU holding a 2âÂÂ1 edge in the series.
Houston opened their season with four consecutive wins, then lost to Texas Tech. They won their next three games and had a 7âÂÂ1 record at the end of October. The Cougars lost two of their four November gamesâÂÂto West Virginia and TCUâÂÂand entered the Texas Bowl with a 9âÂÂ3 record.
LSU opened their season with a win over fourth-ranked Clemson and also won their next three games. However, four losses in their next five games left them with a record of 5âÂÂ4 through November 8. The Tigers finished their regular season with two wins in their final three games and entered the Texas Bowl with a 7âÂÂ5 record.