Cotton Bowl Classic organizers insist they are “prepared for all contingencies” with up to six inches of snow expected on Friday.

No. 8 Ohio State is scheduled to play No. 5 Texas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the Cotton Bowl Classic. The winner will play in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 20.

With so much at stake, organizers are keen for Friday’s game to ahead as planned. Although AT&T Stadium has a retractable roof, it remains to be seen what conditions around the venue will be like. Getting to and from the stadium could also be problematic.

Organizers are in discussions with city officials and College Football Playoff chiefs, and they may be forced into a postponement if the forecast worsens over the next 48 hours. Both teams are still planning on arriving in Arlington on Wednesday as planned.

A fresh statement on Tuesday read: “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. 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.”

Quinn Ewers will lead the Longhorns against his former team

Quinn Ewers will lead the Longhorns against his former team ( 

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Getty Images)

The other semifinal sees No. 7 Notre Dame taking on No. 6 Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. That game will take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. None of the top four seeds in the College Football Playoff have reached the semifinals.

Friday’s game will see Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers play against his former team. The 21-year-old played his first season of college football for the Buckeyes before completing a transfer to the Longhorns and becoming a household name.

Ewers is under pressure to perform against Ohio State, with Arch Manning – the nephew of NFL legends Eli and Peyton – as his backup. Manning is expect to become Texas’ starter next season, with Ewers potentially transferring or declaring for the NFL Draft.

Yet Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is backing Ewers to put in a superb display on Friday. He told reporters: “When we got him back, he was, in our eyes, still a freshman at that time. There’s been a lot of development. I would say physical development but I would probably also say mental and emotional development.

“To watch him grow into the leader that he’s grown into for us, the ability to have the poise and composure he has not only on the field but off the field to look at the face of adversity and come out on the other side of it time and time again… to being his best when his best was needed. I think that’s all a seismic from a maturity standpoint. Like I said, physically and mentally.”