The 2026 Armed Forces Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2026, at Amon G. Carter Stadium located in Fort Worth, Texas. The 23rd annual Armed Forces Bowl began at approximately at 12:00 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2025âÂÂ26 bowl games concluding the 2025 FBS football season. The game was officially named the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl after its corporate sponsor Lockheed Martin.
The Texas State Bobcats from the Sun Belt Conference defeated the Rice Owls from the American Conference, 41âÂÂ10.
Before the game, one of several parachutists who were due to land on the field appeared to become tangled in a cable above one of the end zones, causing him to fall to the ground; he reportedly was able to walk away from the accident.
The Rice Owls (5âÂÂ7, 2âÂÂ6 American) and Texas State Bobcats (6âÂÂ6, 3âÂÂ5 Sun Belt) accepted invitations to play in the Armed Forces Bowl. This was Rice's second appearance in this bowl, having previously appeared in the 2012 edition, while Texas State made its inaugural trip.
The teams first met in 1920 and 1923, then had a six-decade lapse until playing again in 1986 and 1987; their most recent prior meeting was the 2023 First Responder BowlâÂÂentering the Armed Forces Bowl, Texas State held a 3âÂÂ2 edge in the series.
Rice won three of their first four games, then had a three-game losing streak. After winning two of their next three games, the Owls ended their regular season with back-to-back losses. With a 5âÂÂ7 record, Rice was not bowl eligible, but received a bid due to some bowl-eligible teams (such as Iowa State and Kansas State) declining bids.
Texas State also won three of their first four games. The Bobcats then had a five-game losing streak, which included two overtime defeats, followed by three consecutive wins at the end of their regular season. The Bobcats entered the Armed Forces Bowl with a 6âÂÂ6 record.