HOUSTON – The Texans have yet to play in a Super Bowl, but Houston now is in the running to host the NFL’s biggest game for a third time.

Officials with the city’s NFL franchise said that a bid to host the 2012 Super Bowl at Reliant Stadium. The preliminary bid was submitted Tuesday, the deadline for submissions.

NFL rules require that cities submit preliminary bids for review by the league’s staff prior to final bids, which have to be submitted by May 9.

“Our bid committee and members of our Super Bowl Bid Working Committee did an outstanding job of preparing our preliminary bid,” said John L. Nau, III, chairman of the Houston Super Bowl Bid Committee. “We look forward to the NFL staff’s review and will bolster our final commitment to NFL owners at the appropriate time.”

Houston last hosted the big game in 2004 when Super Bowl XXXVIII was in town.