The semifinals are upon college football fans, and on Jan. 10, the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns will face the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The winner punches their ticket to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
However, the weather is causing travel issues for Ohio State fans. According to the Dallas Dispatch, Winter Storm Cora has led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights into and out of Dallas. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport also issued a ground stop for several hours on Jan 9.
Pat McAfee and A.J. Hawk on Cotton Bowl Delay Rumors
The storm is expected to bring two to five inches of snow and sleet to Arlington and several Texas counties on game day. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth says (road) travel should mostly improve by 6 p.m., but any remaining water on the ground could freeze overnight, causing slippery areas on Saturday morning. This has led to rumors that the game could be delayed.
Regarding this, Pat McAfee talked about flying to Dallas for the game, but with the weather not looking good, he wasn’t sure if it would be possible. His co-host, A.J. Hawk, mentioned that the streets were being brined (a process of pouring salt water on ice so that it dissolves, as he explained) so travel to the stadium should be possible.
To this, McAfee addressed the world: “You know what? I would like to let the world know that if they are using some new s**t that they created in a lab to stop ice from taking over streets, I’m about it. I think we as a society should have figured this out already.”
According to a message relayed by the podcast on Jan 8., the Cotton Bowl Classic is still scheduled to take place as planned. The teams will arrive on time, and the semifinal of the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will play out as expected and fans will brave the icy chill and take their seats before the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
Both teams are undefeated in the College Football Playoff this season. The Longhorns beat No. 12-ranked Clemson 38-24 at home, then won a close game against No. 4-ranked Arizona State in overtime, 39-31. Meanwhile, Ohio State won decisively against eighth-ranked Tennessee (42-17) and top-ranked Oregon (41-21) at home.
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