What defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and Oklahoma players had to say about Florida ahead of their matchup in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night.
No. 6 Oklahoma is set to conclude the wild 2020 season with a battle against No. 7 Florida in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night.
The Sooners come in fresh off capturing a sixth consecutive Big 12 title a week and a half ago in a win over Iowa State. The victory was their seventh straight after falling into an early 1-2 hole to start the season.
Oklahoma has been led by their defense in the second half of the season, with a front seven that is among the best in the entire country. They’ll have their hands full with a potent Florida offense in this game, although the Gators will be missing multiple key contributors.
Last week at the Cotton Bowl virtual media day, defense coordinator Alex Grinch and Sooners players had the opportunity to give some thoughts on Florida ahead of their collision at AT&T Stadium. Here is what they had to say.
What Florida coaches and players had to say about Oklahoma ahead of their matchup in the Cotton Bowl.
No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 Florida are set to collide for just their second all-time meeting on Wednesday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Texas.
The Gators come into this game in with some disappointment having been in the driver’s seat for the College Football Playoff going into the final weeks of the season. But, a devastating home loss to LSU and a close shootout loss in the SEC Championship Game to Alabama has them currently riding a two-game losing skid.
Last week at the Cotton Bowl’s virtual media day, Gators coaches and players had the chance to meet with the media to give their thoughts on Oklahoma. Here is what they had to say.
A recap of what national media outlets are saying about Oklahoma’s matchup with Florida in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night.
No. 6 Oklahoma is once again making the trip to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas this week as they prepare to take on No. 7 Florida in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
The Gators come in having dropped two games in a row after a disastrous loss to LSU in the home finale before losing a wild SEC Championship Game to Alabama to finish the regular season at 8-3.
This game is widely looked at as among the very best of the non-College Football Playoff bowl games and will draw strong interest on Wednesday night. Here is what the national media is saying about the game:
Three biggest storylines ahead of Oklahoma’s matchup with Florida at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night in Arlington.
No. 6 Oklahoma will conclude their season on Wednesday night in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl against No. 7 Florida. The game will take place in the exact same place the Sooners played last in the Big 12 Championship Game: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Florida, meanwhile, comes in on the other end of the spectrum having lost two in a row after a catastrophic home loss to LSU followed by a shootout loss in the SEC Championship Game to Alabama.
This meeting between the Big 12 and the SEC is widely viewed as among the very best of the non-College Football Playoff bowl games this season, and it will certainly draw national intrigue despite several Gators being unavailable for the game. Here are the three biggest storylines to watch for in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl:
Voice of the Sooners Toby Rowland announces he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
Oklahoma will have a different radio voice for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night.
Voice of Sooner football Toby Rowland has announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19, and thus won’t be able to call the action from Arlington when Oklahoma faces off with Florida.
Rowland became the full time voice of Sooners football, men’s basketball and baseball in 2011 after being a sideline reporter for the football broadcast starting in 2009. Now, current sideline reporter Chris Plank will slide into Rowland’s role for the Cotton Bowl. Plank is currently the voice of Oklahoma softball.
Rowland is still intending to be a part of the pregame and postgame coverage from his home, so Sooners fans will still get a chance to at least hear his thoughts on the game even if he won’t be calling it.
Oklahoma is set to tee it up against the Gators Wednesday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington at 7:00 p.m. CT.
One of the bigger questions surrounding the preparation for the game was what the two teams were going to do in regards to the Christmas holiday coming just five days prior to when the game is set to be held. Gators head coach Dan Mullen said on Sunday that they intended to allow the players to go home for a few days to be with family, but Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley elected to hold off announcing any official plans.
That changed on Tuesday, as Riley announced that the team would be allowing the players to go home for the holiday before going to Arlington for final preparations. He said that they just “couldn’t get past” the fact that the players all had not been home since the summer.
Oklahoma will be leaving to go home on Wednesday and then returning on Saturday.
I am told Florida sent its players home on Sunday and they will be returning on Saturday, too. #Sooners
It isn’t all that surprising of a decision by the two programs, but noteworthy due to the obvious risk of it with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging all across the country. Players being smart and following protocols as best as they can while being away from campus will be vital to keeping this game afloat.
Oklahoma and Florida are set to tee it up next Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. CT.
ESPN has published their recent bowl projections. Both have the Texas Longhorns playing in a NY6 bowl including a return to a rivalry.
It won’t be long now for the start of the Longhorns 2020 college football season. With less than a week remaining, the projections are flying off the shelf. ESPN recently released their Top 25 Power Rankings with Texas breaking into the top 10. This comes off the heels of the Longhorns being ranked 14th in the latest SP+ rankings.
The Longhorns have been waiting almost a decade for the return of an old rivalry. Yes, we are talking about that Texas-Texas A&M rivalry when Justin Tucker sent them off to the SEC with a last-second field goal in their house. Since then fans have waited for the return of the rivalry. According to latest bowl projections, could we finally get our wish? Possibly.
Mark Schlabach predicts a Texas vs A&M bowl
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Mark Schlabach of ESPN is predicting a bowl game to host the dormant rivalry game. Although, if you are active on social media you would think that it never went away. What better game to host the potential re-birth than the historic Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. The Longhorns haven’t played in the classic since the 2002-03 season where they defeated LSU 35-20. The Aggies haven’t played in the Cotton Bowl since they stomped a mudhole in the Oklahoma Sooners back in 2013.
Not only would this bring back the Longhorns and Aggies rivalry for one game but it would mark the first time ever they met in a bowl game. The history of this game dates all the way back to 1894. It would be a shame to let it die the way that it did.
Kyle Bonagura predicts a Fiesta Bowl berth
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In the second prediction ESPN made, Kyle Bonagura also put Texas in a NY6 bowl game this season. This time a return to the Fiesta Bowl against another SEC foe. It has been more than a decade since the Longhorns have step foot in Glendale, AZ for the Fiesta Bowl. In fact they have just played in that bowl game twice in their history. The only win came in 2008 when Colt McCoy led them to victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Auburn Tigers are the opponent for the Longhorns in this predictions. The two schools haven’t played since 1991. The Tigers and Longhorns first played each other in 1910 when Texas won 9-0. The Longhorns hold a 5-3 advantage despite the Tigers two-game win streak. Their only bowl matchup came in the 1974 Gator Bowl. Auburn won 27-3.
