Construction began in 2000 on NRG Stadium, which opened in August 2002 for the NFL’s Houston Texans. Now, it'll host the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship between Washington and Michigan Monday night.
Since its opening, the complex has hosted the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, CONCACAF Gold Cup matches for soccer, WrestleMania 25 and multiple Final Four events. The Texas Bowl has been played in this stadium since 2006, but no game has featured Michigan or any Pac-12 football team.
NRG Stadium officials elected to change the field's surface to Matrix Turf, installed by Hellas Construction.
If that sounds familiar to any readers, Matrix Turf also resides at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where Georgia and TCU met for the national title last season.
Just as NFL unders have hit more often at SoFi, the same can be said for NRG Stadium since the installation of Matrix Turf.
There have been five FBS football games in NRG Stadium since the installation of the Matrix Turf, and they’ve gone 3-2 to the under during that time.
In the history of the Texas Bowl, there have been 932 points scored in 17 games, adding up to an average of 55 points per game.
The results of NFL totals on Matrix Turf in SoFi Stadium and NRG Stadium may indicate value on the under, but the lengthy history of college football in this building suggests the final score will land on the most valuable key number for college football totals.