2010 Alamo Bowl (January)

The 2010 Alamo Bowl (known via corporate sponsorship as the Valero Alamo Bowl) was the seventeenth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, January 2, 2010. The game featured the Michigan State Spartans against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The 2010 game was the last one to feature a team from the Big Ten. In the fall of 2009, it was announced that the Pac-10 second-place team will take part in the Alamo Bowl instead of the Holiday Bowl which they currently participate in unless they qualify for the BCS. The Alamo Bowl will offer 2011 teams $3 million payouts, thus taking away a team from the Pac-10 and attracting higher-ranking teams from the Big 12. According to Bruce Binkowski, the Holiday's executive director, average ticket prices for the Holiday Bowl would have had to have been increased from $60 to $100 to match the Alamo Bowl's offer.

This was the third Alamo Bowl appearance and first Alamo Bowl win for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Their most recent previously appearance was a 19–16 loss to Iowa in the 2001 game. Michigan State played in one previous Alamo Bowl, losing the 2003 edition to Nebraska 17–3. The game also marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

With approximately 5,553,630 households watching it, the game was the most viewed Alamo Bowl in history. It also drew the highest rating of any bowl ever shown by ESPN. Behind the BCS bowl games and the Capital One Bowl, it was the most viewed bowl shown up to that point in the 2009/10 bowl season.

Game Buildup
The game featured two programs which, prior to the event, were undergoing controversies.

On December 28, 2009, Texas Tech suspended, and fired two days later, head coach Mike Leach over the alleged mistreatment of an injured player. Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill was named interim head coach.

Meanwhile, on November 22, 2009, Michigan State had suspended 14 players for the bowl resulting from a fight at one of the school's dormitories.

First Quarter
Texas Tech won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The 67 yard kick off by the Red Raiders was returned by Keshawn Martin for 33 yards. The Spartans made it all the way to the Texas Tech 32 yardline before their opening driving ended in disappointment, when Jamar Wall intercepted a pass by quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Red Raiders opening drive ended with a 3 yard rushing touchdown by Barron Batch. Both teams went three-and-out in their next drive. Michigan State's first score came in their third drive of the game by way of an explosive run by Edwin Baker for a 46 yard rushing touchdown. The Spartan's scoring drive would be the last of the quarter, bringing the score at the end of the quarter to 7–7.

Second Quarter
At the end of the second quarter the Red Raiders were leading with a score of 14–20.

Third Quarter
At the end of the third quarter the Spartans were leading with a score of 28–27.

Fourth Quarter
Michigan State took a four-point lead with 8:05 left in the game after a FG, but it was all Red Raiders after that point. The game ended with Texas Tech winning the game with a final score of 31–41.

Scoring summary
Source:
 * Final
 * colspan="6"|
 * 31
 * 41
 * }
 * }
 * }