The Buckeyes face the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic

Bowl Battle

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Columbus holds its breath once again this weekend as The Ohio State University competes in 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the Texas Longhorns on January 10 at 7:30 p.m..

Enjoy yet another weekend of the college football playoffs as OSU returns to Arlington, Texas and the AT&T Stadium – home of the Dallas Cowboys – for the semifinal game.

This marks OSU’s second consecutive Cotton Bowl game and fourth overall Cotton Bowl game since they began in 1937. The Longhorns are more experienced when it comes to Cotton Bowl tradition, as they will return to the Cotton Bowl this year for the 23rd time – a college football record.

What to expect

OSU is favored to win against the Longhorns this year, but debates continue regarding which team’s talented defense can pull through for the win. However, OSU’s offensive chemistry witnessed against Oregon in the Rose Bowl sparks hope for Buckeye fans. The winning team will face either Penn State or Notre Dame, depending on which team emerges victorious in Thursday’s Orange Bowl.

On OSU’s campus, you’ll find hordes of exited students as well as OSU alumni decked in scarlet and grey searching for the perfect place to watch the game and cheer for the Buckeyes. Fans are hoping OSU has better luck than last year’s Cotton Bowl when the team unexpectedly lost 14 to 3 to the Missouri Tigers shortly after a devastating loss to Michigan. An OSU win would be memorable to all fourth-year and younger students who have yet to see their team compete in the championship finals while attending OSU.

The 2024 season marks the start of a new playoff selection process where, rather than four teams being selected for the championship, 12 teams now participate to allow for more diverse and fair playoff brackets. The Cotton Bowl, formerly known as a traditional game between two conference champions, now represents a quarterfinal or semifinal game going forward. Because of this change, teams who make the playoffs will have more opportunities to compete in future Bowl games for years to come.

Frances Denman is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.