Washington coach Steve Sarkisian had a friendly word of advice Sunday for Alamodome officials as they prepare for his team's Dec. 29 Valero Alamo Bowl game against Robert Griffin III and Baylor.

“I had a chance to peek at their stats a little,” Sarkisian said. “They might make sure looking at the scoreboards that the light bulbs are right and ready to go because there will be two explosive teams playing. It should make for a great game.”

Baylor ranks sixth nationally in scoring offense, and the Huskies are 36th. That firepower should result in a shootout when the Bears and Huskies meet for the first time since 1965.

It will mark two programs with remarkable transformations in the past several seasons.

Sarkisian inherited an 0-12 program when he took over the Huskies three years ago Sunday. He has directed them to back-to-back bowl berths for the first time since the mid-1990s.

EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Baylor coach Art Briles has turned around a similarly moribund program with back-to-back bowl berths after the Bears failed to make a bowl appearance from 1995-2009. Griffin, who is expected to be a finalist when the Heisman Trophy is presented Saturday night in New York, has been the catalyst in the transformation.

The star power of the junior quarterback has bowl officials salivating about his national appeal. And for good reason, considering he likely will become the first Heisman finalist to play in the Alamo Bowl since Kansas State's Michael Bishop in 1998.

“He will attract fans who might not be Baylor or Washington fans for our game,” Alamo Bowl president and chief executive officer Derrick Fox said. “Just from a general marketing perspective, people will see what Baylor has done this year with him. We've never had a Heisman Trophy winner, but there's a chance.”

Baylor (9-3) finished with a five-game winning streak and soared to No. 12 in the final BCS polls after their season-ending 48-24 victory over Texas on Saturday.

“It's a great thrill for us as a university and a football team to play there,” Briles said. “With football in San Antonio, I know they (fans) are pretty crazy and hungry for it. We're excited about the opportunity to go down there and play.”

Baylor's late charge and victory over Oklahoma on Nov. 19 propelled it over the Sooners, who were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason media poll. OU stumbled in an injury-marred finish, losing three of its past six games.

“Baylor beat them head-up at the end of the season and finished the season with a five-game winning streak,” Fox said. “We couldn't go wrong. But we went with Baylor because we felt they were the team that was most deserving this specific year.”

The Huskies (7-5) finished the season with a 38-21 victory over Washington State in the Apple Cup. Before that, Washington had lost four of its previous five games — all by at least 14 points.

Griffin will be looking for some better luck than the last time he played in the Alamodome. As a junior quarterback for Copperas Cove High in 2006, he dropped a 40-28 decision to Alamo Heights in the Class 4A Division I state championship game.