The 1976 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl was the 18th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, on December 31. Part of the 1976–77 bowl game season, It matched the thirteenth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the #9 Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Southwest Conference (SWC).^[2][3] Down by ten points in the second half, Nebraska rallied to win 27–24.^[4][5]

This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. (December 2016)

Both teams were making their only appearances in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl; this edition (ninth as "Astro-") was played on New Year's Eve at 7 p.m. CST.^[2][3] The Sugar Bowl had been played in this time slot the previous four years, but moved back to New Year's Day this season.

First quarter

• Nebraska – Rick Berns 1-yard run (Al Eveland kick), 5:42 remaining
• Texas Tech – Brian Hall 28-yard field goal, 1:22

Second quarter

• Texas Tech – Billy Taylor 14-yard pass from Rodney Allison (Hall kick), 12:08
• Texas Tech – Taylor 11-yard pass from Allison (Hall kick), 2:14
• Nebraska – Mark Dufresne 22-yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Eveland kick), 0:33

Third quarter

• Texas Tech – Taylor 8-yard run (Hall kick), 11:32
• Nebraska – Berns 18-yard run (kick failed), 9:19
• Nebraska – Chuck Malito 23-yard pass from Ferragamo (Eveland kick), 7:01

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Source:^[4][5]

Reg Gast recovered a Red Raider fumble with 1:34 left in the game to seal the game for Nebraska, who rallied twice from ten-point deficits.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

Source:^[4][5]

The teams switched places in the final AP poll, Nebraska climbed to ninth and Texas Tech fell to thirteenth.

The bowl win was Nebraska's seventh in the last eight seasons, and the Huskers had regular bowl appearances for the rest of Osborne's tenure. Texas Tech only reached three bowl games combined in rest of the decade and the next one. Neither returned to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl after this game.