Ohio State’s College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against Texas at the Cotton Bowl will be played as scheduled despite imminent winter weather concerns.
The bowl’s official Twitter account announced on Tuesday night that the game will still kick off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday night from inside AT&T Stadium as forecasts in the Dallas area have improved over the last 24 hours per the National Weather Service.
North Texas could still be hit hard by Winter Storm Cora, with both ice and snow both potentially slamming the area, but the latest forecast calls for a wintry mix with some icing Thursday during the day before transitioning to 1-3 inches of snowfall on Thursday night and stopping altogether on Friday.
“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 said. “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.”
According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellegner, Cotton Bowl officials met with emergency management, law enforcement, CFP leaders and meteorologists on Tuesday to discuss plans to prepare for the winter storm but there was “little to no serious discussion about postponing the game as of now.”
Unlike the 2011 Super Bowl, when melted ice fell off the AT&T Stadium roof and injured multiple people, the Dallas Cowboys’ home stadium is equipped to handle a winter storm. Since that incident, the Cowboys installed an ice guard on the stadium roof along with a pipe system to pump warmer water onto the roof to prevent snow and ice from accumulating.
Regardless, the Dallas area is still under a Winter Storm Watch from 12 am Central Standard Time Thursday to 6 p.m. CST Friday for what they described as a potential “heavy mixed precipitation” that could result in a total snow and sleet accumulation of 2-5 inches with ice accumulation around a light glaze to .1 inch.
Buckeye Sports Bulletin will have more on this story as news unfolds.
