College football bowl season kicks off Saturday, Dec. 17, and the first day of action includes the Las Vegas Bowl, which features a 3:30 p.m. ET matchup between Houston and San Diego State.
After holding preseason playoff aspirations, the Houston Cougars head into the game with a 9-3 record and without former head coach Tom Herman, who now holds the same position at Texas.
Related: Will the Las Vegas Bowl be Greg Ward, Jr.'s Last College Game?
San Diego State, meanwhile, heads into the bowl game fresh off a 10-3 season and a Mountain West Championship.
The Aztecs head into the game with the nation's second-leading rusher, Donnel Pumphrey, who has 2,018 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season, trailing Texas' D'Onta Foreman by only 10 yards. Quarterback Christian Chapman has thrown for 1,866 yards, 19 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Houston, meanwhile, features a potent offensive attack behind quarterback Greg Ward, Jr., who has thrown for 3,328 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season. Ward is also the Cougars' leading rusher, with 518 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
Linell Bonner is the leading receiver for Houston, with 1,076 yards and three scores. Chance Allen leads the Cougars with six touchdown catches.
Houston currently holds a 2-0 advantage in the short history between these two teams, according to Winsipedia. Those two matchups came in consecutive years from 1972-1973, so it's been more than 40 years since the teams have squared off.
San Diego State will look for the first win in the series' history on Saturday. The Aztecs are currently four-point underdogs.
Related: Complete 2016 Bowl Game Schedule
Houston Cougars vs. San Diego State Aztecs
Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Date/time: Saturday, Dec. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Twitter: Houston: @UHCougarFB, @UHCougars
San Diego St: @Aztec_Football, @GoAztecs
@LasVegasBowl
@HEROSportsNews
