The Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns are set to face off in the Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday evening, a highly anticipated matchup in the College Football Playoff semifinals. However, severe weather looming over the Dallas area may present notable challenges.
Forecasters predict temperatures in the 30s with a wintry mix and an 83 percent chance of precipitation in the Dallas area on Thursday. Conditions are expected to worsen on Friday, the day of the game.
Friday’s weather outlook includes temperatures dropping to as low as 25 degrees, strong winds, and morning snow showers. Some projections even suggest the region could see up to 12 inches of snow.
While the game itself will take place indoors under AT&T Stadium’s protective roof, the harsh weather could impact travel plans for fans, teams, and event personnel.
As it stands, the Cotton Bowl organizers maintain that the game will proceed as planned.
On Tuesday, officials from the Cotton Bowl released a statement confirming the game remains on schedule while noting they “continues to monitor” the weather.
“We continue to monitor weather reports, and over the last 24 hours, the forecast for later this week has improved according to the National Weather Service,” the Cotton Bowl stated Tuesday evening, per Eleven Warriors.
“We have been meeting routinely with city officials, the Director of Transportation for North Texas and the College Football Playoff. Should the forecast shift, we are prepared for all contingencies. North Texas highways are already being brined and plans are in place to assure a safe environment for everyone in and around AT&T Stadium on game day. The teams arrive tomorrow, as planned, and the 2025 CFP Semifinal at the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will kick off on Friday evening as scheduled.”
The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. At this time, all indications point to the game proceeding as planned.
Needless to say, this decision led to a lot of reactions from fans on social media.
“Buffalo will play an outdoor game with 3 feet of snow in the stands but the cotton bowl is worried about weather for an indoor game?” one fan wrote on X.
“This is irresponsible,” someone else said of the plan to play the game as scheduled.
“Were people really that concerned about this? I know Dallas isn’t used to snow, but all that matters is the team/ESPN busses arrive to the stadium and they would have all day to do that,” another person added.
“Ok I guess we’re doin this bad weather and all!” another fan said.
“Check the weather they traveled and played in for the 1979 Cotton Bowl,” someone else pointed out.
The winner of Friday night’s contest will face the victor of Thursday night’s showdown between Penn State and Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff championship game.
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