There may be some good news for Longhorn fans at the Cotton Bowl. UT won’t have to worry about the game being officiated by the conference Texas spurned a year ago.
The College Football Playoff committee has announced the Cotton Bowl between the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns and the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes will feature an officiating crew from the ACC. The Big 12 will officiate the Orange Bowl between the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions.
Before the announcement it was thought the game in Arlington would either have an ACC or Big 12 crew. Texas fans have bad memories of Big 12 officiating after the Longhorns announced they were leaving for SEC greener pastures.
The crew for the National Championship Game hasn’t been assigned yet, which was expected to be released today. It’s likely to be finalized after the semifinal games. So there is a chance that Kevin Marr and his Big 12 crew could officiate the big game in Atlanta.
Texas had Big Ten officiating crews in both the first round game at home against Clemson and the Peach Bowl against Arizona State.
Texas-Ohio State will feature an ACC officiating crew. Jerry Magallanes will be the referee. Magallanes officiated Ohio State’s first round playoff win over Tennessee.
— HornSports (@HornSports) January 4, 2025