Bowl game schedule 2012: Bowl season hits Houston with Meineke Car Care Bowl

Houston residents will be able to get in on the 2012 bowl action this weekend when the Meineke Car Care Bowl takes center stage at Reliant Stadium. The Minnesota Golden Gophers will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a Big Ten-Big 12 clash on Friday night.

The Red Raiders finished 7-5 for the season, but just 4-5 in Big 12 play. The Golden Gophers were 6-6 overall and 2-6 in the conference, second to last in the Big Ten Legends Division. Their big win came early in the season when they knocked of Syracuse out of the Big East. Texas Tech's highlight this year was beating West Virginia and TCU, who were both ranked at the time, in back-to-back weeks.

But Houston won't have the only Texas bowl game this weekend. San Antonio will host the Valero Alamo Bowl on Sunday, where Texas will play Oregon State. The Longhorns' eight wins came on a pair of four-game win streaks, while Oregon State split its last six games after winning its first six.