Alamo Bowl 2013: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

The 2013 Valero Alamo Bowl between the No. 10 Oregon Ducks and Texas Longhorns is littered with intriguing storylines—both on the field and off thanks to notable names both staying and going after the showdown from the Alamodome.

The 8-4 Longhorns lost two of three in ugly fashion to close the year and miss out on a Big 12 title. For additional salt in the wound, the Longhorns are serious underdogs here in what will be coach Mack Brown and quarterback Case McCoy's final game with the school.

Things are much more positive for the 10-2 Ducks, as the team will see quarterback Marcus Mariota return next season. While great news, it is but a Band-Aid to disguise the fact Oregon went .500 in its final four to close the season and miss out on the Pac-12 title.

So will it be Texas closing one era on a positive note and beginning another with a bang, or will Oregon prematurely start what is sure to be another national-championship hunt next season?

When: Monday, Dec. 30 at 6:45 p.m. ET

Where: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Television: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN3

Betting Lines (via Vegas Insider)

• Over/Under: 67
• Spread: Oregon (-14)

Ducks Injury Report (via USA Today)

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Pharaoh Brown	TE	12/24/2013	will miss the Alamo Bowl Monday against Texas	Suspended	disciplinary
Ricky Havill-Heimuli	DT	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Texas	Questionable	leg
Troy Hill	CB	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Texas	Questionable	legal/disciplinary
Colt Lyerla	TE	10/07/2013	has left the team	Out	personal
Byron Marshall	RB	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Texas	Questionable	ankle

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
David Ash	QB	10/14/2013	is out indefinitely	Out	concussion
Joe Bergeron	RB	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Questionable	foot
Demarco Cobbs	LB	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Questionable	knee
Josh Cochran	T	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Questionable	shoulder
Deoundrei Davis	LB	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Questionable	knee
Ashton Dorsey	DT	08/30/2013	has decided to transfer	Out	personal
Steve Edmond	LB	12/03/2013	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	liver
Kennedy Estelle	T	12/26/2013	will miss the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Out	academics
Sheroid Evans	CB	10/06/2013	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	knee
Johnathan Gray	RB	11/10/2013	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	calf
Jordan Hicks	LB	09/22/2013	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	Achilles
Bryant Jackson	WR	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Questionable	foot
Daje Johnson	RB	12/26/2013	will miss the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Out	academics
Miles Onyegbule	TE	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Questionable	leg
Jalen Overstreet	RB	12/26/2013	will miss the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Out	academics
Kendall Thompson	LB	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Questionable	head
Kevin Vaccaro	S	12/24/2013	is questionable for the Alamo Bowl Monday against Oregon	Questionable	ankle
Chris Whaley	DT	11/10/2013	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	leg

Longhorns Injury Report (via USA Today)

Can Texas Overcome Distractions as Two Mainstays Partake in Final Game? 

By now, collegiate fans know Mack Brown is on his way out after 16 years in Austin highlighted by 158 victories and a national championship after an undefeated season in 2005.

Brown told the media, via ABC News, that the Alamo Bowl would be his last game with the school in the hopes the program can turn things around:

"

It's been a wonderful ride. Now, the program is again being pulled in different directions, and I think the time is right for a change. I love the University of Texas, all of its supporters, the great fans and everyone that played and coached here ... It is the best coaching job and the premier football program in America.

I sincerely want to get back to the top and that's why I'm stepping down after the bowl game. I hope with some new energy, we can get this thing rolling again.

"

Brown is far from the only loss with McCoy on his way out, too. The senior threw for 1,885 yards with 11 touchdowns and interceptions. He will now be asked to duel Oregon's Mariota, who at one point was a top Heisman contender and leads the nation's No. 3 overall offense that averages 46.8 points per game.

The Longhorns have a tall task indeed, especially thanks to a wealth of distractions, a disappointing year and an unusually long layoff between games.

Prediction

The narrative that Texas will come out emotionally charged to fight for its departing coach is nullified with the news that the Ducks will be losing defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti as well, per CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman:

As Andrew Greif of The Oregonian illustrates, both teams are on equal footing as a result:

Aliotti, who has spent 21 seasons with the Ducks in three different stints, has his defense playing at a high level. That is arguably the main reason Texas does not stand a chance Monday. The unit ranks No. 25 with an average of 21.6 points surrendered per game.

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit puts it best:

Mariota (3,412 yards and 30 touchdowns) and the Ducks offense will have no problem scoring on a Longhorns defense that ranks outside of the top 50. McCoy and the Longhorns have scored more than 40 points just three times in 2013.

A fourth journey over the threshold is simply not in the cards.

Final Score: Ducks 48, Longhorns 28