Why Ohio State was assigned to Cotton Bowl for in College Football Playoff
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Ohio State had two possible destinations after receiving a bye into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
It could be in the Cotton Bowl or Orange Bowl.
The Big Ten and SEC were sending their champions to the Rose and Sugar bowls due to historical ties.
As the CFP selection committee considered the site assignments for the second-seeded Buckeyes, it saw placement in the Orange Bowl as a potential disadvantage, according to chairman Hunter Yurachek.
The Buckeyes are due to face the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami, and if the Hurricanes upset the Aggies in the first round, it would leave Ohio State facing Miami in its home stadium.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens hosts both the Orange Bowl and the Hurricanes’ home games.
“That’s how we assigned Ohio State to the Cotton Bowl,” Yurachek said.
The Buckeyes could still see a more hostile crowd at the Cotton Bowl, which is held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Texas A&M is roughly a three-hour drive to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, meaning the stands at Jerry World could see their share of maroon on New Year’s Eve if the Aggies prevail in the opening round.
But Yurachek said the committee viewed the Cotton Bowl as “a true neutral-site field” even if the Buckeyes are to play Texas A&M. AT&T Stadium is the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
It will be the third consecutive year that the Buckeyes will be in the Cotton Bowl, which hosted one of the semifinal games last season and a non-CFP game in 2023.
The Buckeyes defeated Texas in the semifinals last year to reach the final following an 83-yard scoop-and-score by defensive end Jack Sawyer to seal the win over the Longhorns.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State put in Cotton Bowl over Orange Bowl for CFP quarterfinal
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