The 2025 Valero Alamo Bowl features the 9-3 USC Trojans and the 8-4 TCU Horned Frogs. Here is the 2025 Valero Alamo Bowl Preview.
USC Trojans
USC won nine games to make their fourth straight bowl game. They defeated six bowl-eligible teams this season: Missouri State, Georgia Southern, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern and Iowa. All three of their losses were to teams that made bowl games: Illinois, Notre Dame and Oregon.
The Trojans score 36.5 points per game, ranking 13th in the nation. USC passes for 297.3 yards (ranked seventh) and rushes for 174.2 yards (ranked 52nd) per game.
Jayden Maiava has had a solid season for the Trojans at quarterback. He has passed for 3,431 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 66.2 percent completion. Five pass-catchers have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Makai Lemon, Lake McRee and Jakobi Lane were standouts, but are opting out for the NFL Draft. That leaves Tanook Hines as the leading receiver with 398 yards on the season.
Three running backs do most of the work on the ground for the Trojans. King Miller leads the team with 873 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders have played well, too, with 576 and 264 rushing yards apiece.
Defensively, they give up 22.42 points per game, ranking 47th in the country. They allow 145.4 rushing yards (ranked 62nd) and 203.3 passing yards (ranked 46th) per game. Desmen Stephens leads the team with 83 tackles. The leading tackler has been Braylan Shelby with 4.5. Bishop Fitzgerald has been impressive in the secondary with three passes defended and five interceptions.
TCU Horned Frogs
The Horned Frogs won eight games to qualify for their second-straight bowl game. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams this season: SMU, Houston and Cincinnati. All four of their losses were to teams that went at least .500: Arizona State, Kansas State, Iowa State and BYU.
TCU scores 30.8 points per game, tying them for 42nd in the country. TCU passes for 292.8 yards (ranked eighth) and rushes for 132.6 yards (ranked 93rd) per game.
Starting quarterback Josh Hoover is in the transfer portal, so Ken Seals will likely start after passing for just 24 yards during the regular season. Four pass-catchers have at least 300 receiving yards on the season for the Horned Frogs. Eric McAlister has been a star with 64 catches for 1,121 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jordan Dwyer and Joseph Manjack are also capable receivers with 730 and 551 yards, respectively.
Three running backs get most of the work out of the backfield for TCU. Jeremy Payne leads the team in yards with 550. Kevorian Barnes and Trent Battle have been good as well with 443 and 345 rushing yards apiece.
On defense, the Horned Frogs’ defense concedes 25.17 points per game, ranking 73rd in the country. They allow 134.3 rushing yards (ranked 46th) and 242.8 passing yards (ranked 107th) per game. Kaleb Elarms-Orr has the team-high with 119 total tackles. He also paces the team with four sacks. Bud Clark is an experienced safety who has made big plays with five passes defended and four interceptions.
Prediction
USC having Maiava suit up is huge. While he will be without his top targets, he still has enough talent on the roster to move the ball well. The Trojans should be able to win by at least a touchdown.
USC Trojans 35 TCU Horned Frogs 24
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