When fans finally settle into their seats Friday night around 6:30 p.m. in Arlington for the start of the Cotton Bowl Classic, they’ll do so amid an icy backdrop — a cold snap that brought snow, sleet, freezing temperatures and school closures to North Texas in recent days.
The University of Texas Longhorns take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinal at AT&T Stadium with hopes of getting one step closer to a national championship.
While some people raised concerns about the weather and how that might affect the game, there never seems to have been a real threat to cancel or reschedule, especially as forecasts improved. And there were a lot of scheduling ramifications to take into account if things did shift around — especially with television. If the game was canceled or moved to another date over the weekend, it could have competed with the NFL playoffs.
In the end, the Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium and local emergency management officials all gave assurances plans were in place to make travel to and from the venue as safe as possible.
Gov. Greg Abbott, prompted by a reporter’s question, even reiterated that confidence at a press conference Wednesday.
“I’ve had conversations with multiple people about it, including in the briefing that we just had before coming into here, knowing that you would ask the question about Texas football,” Abbott said. “There should be no hindrance to people being able to attend the game.”
Abbott added potential snow and ice on the roads could pose a problem, but urged travellers to use caution.
“If you’re very cautious and slow and methodical in your driving, everything’s going to be just fine,” Abbott said.
The assurance came just a day before Dallas officials announced Thursday the city faced an uptick in crashes on the slick roads.
Meanwhile, both teams arrived in the area Wednesday without incident. As expected, though, fans attempting to fly into the region on Thursday or Friday may have experienced more trouble: Nearly half of all flights in and out of the DFW International and Dallas Love Field airports on Thursday were canceled due to the weather.
Increased security
On top of weather concerns, the game also comes in the wake of the New Year’s Day New Orleans attack that left 15 people dead — including the killer — and dozens more injured. The shocking act of violence came just days before the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans, prompting the game to be rescheduled with tightened security.
More than 500 miles away in Arlington, the attack prompted discussions among organizers and law enforcement about security for AT&T Stadium during Friday’s game.
Arlington police said the department has not been made aware of any credible security threats for the game at this point, but there will be increased police presence, primarily in and around the parking lots.
Braving the cold
By the time Friday’s game kicks off, temperatures in the area are predicted to hover around 35 degrees.
Of course, AT&T Stadium is no stranger to cold weather. Famously, during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLV between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, some people were injured by snow and ice falling from the stadium caused by an ice storm.
The Cowboys have since installed a ridge-like ice guard on the stadium roof to prevent similar problems. The guard is designed to stop or slow the slide of ice and snow, and to break up larger chunks. The team also installed a system that pumps warmer water onto the roof to prevent buildup of ice and snow.
Still, time will tell what kind of issues the weather may present this time around.
As for whether the cold will chill the event atmosphere? Well, college football fans are pretty passionate, and there’s still going to be a massive number of people who find their way to the game rain, sleet or shine — especially Longhorns fans. That includes scores of alumni not just from close travel distance in Austin, but right here in North Texas.
The matchup — and local ties
As for the game, there’s a lot for North Texas fans to keep an eye on, but particularly the local flair: 31 alumni from North Texas-area high schools are part of the Texas roster for the game and several are right at the heart of their success.
Star quarterback Quinn Ewers graduated from Southlake Carroll, running back Tre Wisner hails from DeSoto and linebacker Anthony Hale Jr. — the team’s leading tackler — graduated from Denton Ryan. That’s not to mention true freshman defensive end Colin Simmons from Duncanville, who leads the team in sacks.
Texas has never been past this round of the playoffs since the four-team era started back in 2014. It finally made its first appearance in the playoff last year before losing to Washington in the semifinal round. And now that Texas is back to the same point in the first 12-team arrangement, the question is whether it can find a way to break through for its first national championship game appearance since losing to Alabama in 2009.
And if the Longhorns are able to pull that off, they’ll earn their crack at a first title since Vince Young’s iconic “fourth-and-five” touchdown run sealed the 2005 national championship win over USC.
The Cotton Bowl Classic kicks off Friday night at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
