Ohio State and Texas fans are braving dangerous weather to watch their teams in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night in Texas, as winter conditions have disrupted the state in recent days.
Snow and freezing conditions have descended upon Texas of late, with schools closing and ice forming on the roads as a result.
There have also been several car accidents in the Dallas area due to the slick road conditions.
Nonetheless, the Cotton Bowl – which is serving as the second semifinal of the College Football Playoff – is set to go ahead in Arlington at AT&T Stadium at 7:30pm ET.
Ohio State fans, in particular, will be travelling from afar for the game, and there were a slew of flight cancellations at both DFW International and Dallas Love Field airports on Thursday due to weather conditions.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said everything would be ‘just fine’ for fans travelling to the game, but encouraged them to take it slow.
Snow is seen on the parking lot of AT&T Stadium ahead of Friday night’s game
Dangerous road conditions have caused numerous accidents in the area. Above, First Responders attend to a vehicle collision during a winter storm in Plano, Texas.
‘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 told reporters, via Texas Public Radio. ‘There should be no hindrance to people being able to attend the game.’
He added, ‘If you’re very cautious and slow and methodical in your driving, everything’s going to be just fine.’
While the game at the home of the Dallas Cowboys will be played under a closed roof, it will be cold outside around kickoff.
Accuweather predicts it will be 36 degrees at 8pmET, with 13mph winds.
Cotton Bowl officials released a statement on Tuesday confirming that the game would go ahead as planned.
Ohio State’s Will Howard and Texas’ Quinn Ewers will face off on Friday night in Texas
‘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 statement began. ‘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.”
Friday’s game follows a dramatic Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame, which the Fighting Irish won 27-24 thanks to a late field goal.
To get to the Cotton Bowl, Texas beat Arizona State in an overtime thriller in the quarterfinals, while Ohio State have beaten Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon.
