Texas Kickoff
The AdvoCare Texas Kickoff is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season in Houston, Texas, at NRG Stadium. The game's title sponsor is AdvoCare, a dietary supplement company based in Plano, Texas.
| AdvoCare Texas Kickoff | |
|---|---|
| ATK | |
 | |
| Stadium | NRG Stadium (except 2017) Mercedes-Benz Superdome (2017) |
| Location | Houston, Texas (except 2017) New Orleans, Louisiana (2017) |
| Operated | 2013–present |
| Sponsors | |
AdvoCare (2013–present) | |
| 2020 matchup | |
| Baylor vs. Ole Miss (Canceled) | |
| 2021 matchup | |
| Houston vs. Texas Tech | |
Game results
| Season | Date | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | Television | TV Viewers | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | August 31, 2013 | 13 Oklahoma State Cowboys | 21 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 3 | 35,874 | ABC/ESPN2 | 2.162M | [1] |
| 2014 | August 30, 2014 | 13 LSU Tigers | 28 | 14 Wisconsin Badgers | 24 | 71,599 | ESPN | 4.680M | [2] |
| 2015 | September 5, 2015 | Texas A&M Aggies | 38 | 15 Arizona State Sun Devils | 17 | 66,308 | ESPN | 2.471M | [3] |
| 2016 | September 3, 2016 | 15 Houston Cougars | 33 | 3 Oklahoma Sooners | 23 | 71,016 | ABC | 5.713M | [4] |
| 2017 | September 2, 2017 | 13 LSU Tigers | 27 | BYU Cougars | 0 | 53,826 | ESPN | 1.763M | [5] |
| 2018 | September 1, 2018 | Ole Miss Rebels | 47 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 27 | 40,333 | ESPN | 1.929M | [6] |
| 2019 | September 14, 2019 | 20 Washington State Cougars | 31 | Houston Cougars | 24 | 40,523 | ESPN | 2.072M | [7] |
| Baylor Bears | Canceled | Ole Miss Rebels | – | – | – | – | [8] | ||
Rankings are from the AP Poll. TV viewers are from Sports Media Watch.[9]
2013
The 2013 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff was the inaugural event in the series and matched the unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the No. 13 Oklahoma State Cowboys of the Big 12 Conference on August 31, 2013 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Cowboys decisively defeated the Bulldogs 21–3.
2014
The second edition of the Kickoff featured the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference and the No. 13 LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and was played on August 30, 2014 at NRG Stadium in Houston. This became official when school officials from the participating teams agreed to play in this kickoff classic on August 23, 2013. It was the third time the Badgers and Tigers met on the football field, with the Tigers prevailing 28–24.
2015
The 2015 matchup between Texas A&M of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Arizona State of the Pac-12 Conference was announced on November 22, 2013. Heading into the game, Texas A&M was unranked while Arizona State was ranked 15th in the preseason AP poll. The game was close through three quarters, with the Aggies outscoring the Sun Devils 21–3 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
2016
The fourth edition of the Kickoff featured the No. 15 Houston Cougars of the American Athletic Conference and the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12 Conference, and was played on September 3, 2016 at NRG Stadium in Houston. The game was publicly announced on September 8, 2014. At game time, Houston was under consideration for Big 12 membership along with several other schools. The Big 12 chose not to expand several weeks later after Houston beat Oklahoma 33–23. The Sooners went on to win the Big 12 title with a 9-0 conference record becoming the first Advocare Texas Kickoff participant to win its conference. The game featured a rare "kick six" as Houston defensive back Brandon Wilson returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown.[10]
2017
On January 8, 2015 the Advocare Texas Kickoff announced that the LSU Tigers would face the BYU Cougars on September 2, 2017 at NRG Stadium. LSU is the only school to make two appearances in the Kickoff. However, due to the tremendous flooding from Hurricane Harvey hitting the Houston metro area, the game was relocated to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Tigers shut out the Cougars 27–0.
2020
The 2020 game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Records
By team
| Rank | Team | Apps | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Houston | 2 | 1–1 | .500 | |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Ole Miss | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | |
| Texas A&M | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | |
| Washington State | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | |
| 7 | Arizona State | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| BYU | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | |
| Mississippi State | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | |
| Texas Tech | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | |
References
- "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys - Recap - August 31, 2013 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- "Wisconsin Badgers vs. LSU Tigers - Recap - August 30, 2014 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- "Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Texas A&M Aggies - Recap - September 5, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- "Oklahoma Sooners vs. Houston Cougars - Recap - September 3, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- "No. 13 LSU Shuts Down BYU, 27–0". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- "Ta'amu, Phillips help Ole Miss over Texas Tech 47-27". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- "Gordon leads No. 20 Washington State over Houston 31-24". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- "Baylor-Ole Miss football opener canceled as Big 12 considers pandemic schedule". WacoTrib.com. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- "College Football TV Ratings". Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "The inside story of Houston's potentially playoff-crashing kick-six". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.