View source for Cotton Bowl Classic

{{Short description|Annual American college football postseason game}}
{{For|the Cotton Bowl stadium|Cotton Bowl (stadium)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox college football bowl game
| name = Cotton Bowl Classic
| full_name = [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] Cotton Bowl Classic
| logo = Cotton Bowl logo.svg
| logo_size = 220px
| caption =
| stadium = [[AT&T Stadium]]
| previous_stadiums = [[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|Cotton Bowl]] (1937–2009)
| location = [[Arlington, Texas]]
| previous_locations = [[Dallas|Dallas, Texas]]
| years = 1937–present
| website = {{URL|https://www.cottonbowl.com/|cottonbowl.com}}
| champ_affiliation = {{ubl
 | [[College Football Playoff|CFP]] ([[2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2014]]–present)
 <!--Cotton Bowl was not part of BCS or Bowl Alliance-->
 | [[Bowl Coalition]] ([[1992 NCAA Division I-A football season|1992]]–[[1994 NCAA Division I-A football season|1994]])
 }}
| conference_tie-ins = <!--currently no specific conference tie-ins-->
| previous_tie-ins = {{ubl
 | [[Southwest Conference|SWC]] (1941–1995)
 | [[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]] (1997–2014)
 | [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] (1999–2014)
 }}
| payout = 4 million <small>(non-playoff years)</small>
| sponsors = {{ubl
 | [[Mobil]] (1989–1995)
 | Southwestern Bell Corporation/SBC Communications/[[AT&T]] (1997–2014)
 | [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] (2014–present)
 }}
| former_names = {{ubl
 | Cotton Bowl (1937–1988)
 | Mobil Cotton Bowl Classic (1989–1995)
 | Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic (1996–2000)
 | SBC Communications Cotton Bowl Classic (2001–2005)
 | AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic (2006–2014)
 }}
| prev_matchup_year  = 2023
| prev_matchup_season= 2023
| prev_matchup_teams = [[2023 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]] vs. [[2023 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]] ([[2023 Cotton Bowl Classic (December)|Missouri 14–3]])
| prev_matchup_score = <!--embedded above due to (December) disambiguation-->
| next_matchup_year  = 2024 season<!--this is clearer to readers-->
| next_matchup_season= 2024
| next_matchup_teams = [[2024 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] vs. [[2024 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]] ([[2025 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|Ohio State 28–14]])
| next_matchup_date  = <!--embedded above-->
}}
The '''Cotton Bowl Classic''' (also known as the '''Cotton Bowl''') is an American [[college football]] [[bowl game]] played annually in the [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]] since January 1, 1937. 

The game was originally played at its [[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|namesake stadium]] in [[Dallas]] before moving to [[AT&T Stadium]] in nearby [[Arlington, Texas|Arlington]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/02/28/28cotton.html | title=Cotton Bowl moves; what about Texas-OU? | newspaper=Austin American-Statesman | date=February 27, 2007 | access-date=March 24, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070307144357/http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/02/28/28cotton.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = March 7, 2007}}</ref> Since 2014, the game has been sponsored by the [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company]] and officially known as the '''Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic'''; it was previously sponsored by [[Mobil]] (1989–1995) and Southwestern Bell Corporation/SBC Communications/[[AT&T]] (1997–2014).

From 1941 to 1995, the game hosted the champion of the [[Southwest Conference]] (SWC) against a team invited from elsewhere in the country, frequently a major independent or a runner-up from the [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC). Following the dissolution of the SWC in 1996, the game hosted a runner-up from the [[Big 12 Conference]], facing an SEC team from 1999 to 2014.

In [[2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2014]], the Cotton Bowl Classic, as one of the "[[New Year's Six]]" bowls, became a part of the [[College Football Playoff]]. As part of the four-team playoff from 2014 to [[2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2023]], the Cotton Bowl served as a semifinal game in [[2015 Cotton Bowl Classic|2015]], [[2018 Cotton Bowl Classic|2018]], and [[2021 Cotton Bowl Classic|2021]].

With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to twelve teams in the [[2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2024–25 season]], the Cotton Bowl Classic will serve as either a quarterfinal or semifinal each year. It served as a semifinal in [[2025 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|2025]] and will serve as a quarterfinal in 2026. When serving as a semifinal, the game will be played one week after New Year's Day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the 12-Team College Football Playoff Format |url=https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2024/5/29/12-team-format.aspx |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=College Football Playoff |language=en}}</ref> 

The winner of the Cotton Bowl is awarded the Field Scovell Trophy.

==History==
===1930s===
[[File:1939CottonBowl.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Action during the 1939 game<br />between [[St. Mary's College of California|St. Mary's]] and [[Texas Tech Red Raiders football|Texas Tech]]]]
The Cotton Bowl Classic was founded in Dallas in 1937 at the [[Fair Park|Texas State Fair Grounds]], when Texas oil executive J. Curtis Sanford financed the first bowl game. [[TCU Horned Frogs football|Texas Christian]] and star quarterback [[Sammy Baugh]] took on [[Marquette Golden Avalanche football|Marquette]], winning 16–6, but the game lost money even though some 17,000 attended. Nonetheless, Sanford persevered, and in 1938 the game made a profit as [[Rice Owls football|Rice]] defeated [[Byron White]]'s [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado]] 28–14 in front of a crowd of 37,000.

Some 40,000 attended the 1939 match between [[Saint Mary's Gaels football|Saint Mary's College of California]] and [[Texas Tech Red Raiders football|Texas Tech]], with the Gaels upsetting the undefeated Red Raiders 20–13.

===1940s===
In 1940, an underdog [[Clemson Tigers football|Clemson]] team surprised the  [[Boston College Eagles football|Boston College Eagles]] 6–3, in the first and only appearance at the Cotton Bowl Classic by Tigers coach [[Frank Howard (football coach)|Frank Howard]]. Attendance at this game was given as 20,000. Later that year, a group of prominent Dallas citizens took over the staging of the game as the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. A few months later, the CBAA became an agency of the [[Southwest Conference]]. From 1941 to 1994, the SWC's champion hosted the Cotton Bowl Classic.

In 1943, The Texas Longhorns represented the SWC in their first ever bowl game against a highly ranked Georgia Tech team at the time. Prior to the game, sportswriters boasted that Texas did not belong in the same league as Georgia Tech. Texas proved the public wrong by defeating the Yellow Jackets 14–7 in what was mostly a defensive battle. This Cotton Bowl was the first bowl appearance for Texas as the Longhorns would go on to appear in a record 22 Cotton Bowls, the most of any team.

In 1946, [[Missouri Tigers football|Missouri]] was defeated by [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas]], despite the 4th quarter work of freshman fullback Robert (Bob) Lee Clodfelter, who was to mature under [[Weeb Ewbank]] at [[Washington University Bears football|Washington University in St. Louis]] the next three years.

In 1947 [[LSU Tigers football|LSU]] and [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas]] played in front of 38,000 people to a scoreless tie in what would later become known as the "Ice Bowl."  LSU got the better of Arkansas most of the game, but the game truly belonged to the weatherman.

In 1948 [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]], in a bowl game for the first time in 25 years, played Dallas' [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU]] to a 13–13 tie. Because none of the Dallas hotels would provide accommodations for the two [[African American|African-American]] members of the Penn State team, the Penn State team ended up staying at a Naval Air Station 14 miles from Dallas. This was the first interracial game played at the [[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|Cotton Bowl Stadium]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blackhistory.psu.edu/timeline/first_interracial_football_game_is_played_at_the_cotton_bowl|title=Penn State Black History / African American Chronicles|author=Penn State Public Broadcasting Creative Group|work=psu.edu|access-date=October 3, 2015}}</ref>

===1950s===
The 1953 Cotton Bowl would be a rematch of the 1951 bowl game as [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas]] and [[Tennessee Volunteers football|Tennessee]] played for the second time. Texas defensive stars shut out the Vols 16–0 as the Longhorns avenged the previous meeting when Tennessee beat Texas 20–14.

The 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic featured one of the most famous plays in college football history. [[Rice Owls football|Rice]]'s [[Dickey Moegle]] (last name spelling later changed to "Maegle") began a run around  end from his team's 5-yard line and down the open field. [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama]]'s [[Tommy Lewis (American football)|Tommy Lewis]] jumped off the bench and tackled Moegle. The referee, Cliff Shaw, saw what happened and signaled touchdown even though Moegle was "tackled" at the 42-yard line.

The 1957 Classic matched the [[TCU Horned Frogs football|TCU Horned Frogs]] against the [[Jim Brown]]-led [[Syracuse Orange football|Syracuse Orangemen]]. Brown rushed for 135 yards, scored three touchdowns and kicked three extra points but a fourth-quarter blocked extra point by TCU's Chico Mendoza proved the margin of victory as TCU won, 28–27. TCU QB [[Chuck Curtis]] passed for 174 yards, threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another to lead the Frogs.

===1960s===
In 1960, [[1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]] defeated [[1959 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] 23–14 to win the [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|national championship]]. Syracuse was led by bowl MVP [[Ernie Davis]], who ran for one touchdown, caught a Cotton Bowl Classic record 87-yard touchdown, and intercepted a pass leading to a third touchdown. There was a brawl on the field just before the end of the first half; some said it was because of Texas taking cheap shots at Ernie Davis.<ref>Orange Deplores Texas Conduct, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, January 2, 1960, pg 10</ref> The University of Texas president Logan Wilson called for an NCAA hearing on the fight after the game. Syracuse Athletic Director Lew Andreas asserted that no one from his university had accused Texas of dirty play, and attributed those claims to members of the media.<ref>Texas Demands NCAA Probe of 'Dirty Play', The Florence (Alabama) Times, January 12, 1960, pg 10</ref> The issue was dropped shortly thereafter. In 1961, Davis became the first black athlete to win the [[Heisman Trophy]], but died of [[leukemia]] before his pro career could begin.

[[Duke Blue Devils football|Duke]] defeated Arkansas 7–6 in the 1961 game. Duke scored with 2:45 remaining and recovered a fumble on the ensuing series to win the game.

In 1962, Texas would again be selected to play in the Cotton Bowl after winning another SWC crown. This time the Longhorns faced a highly talented Mississippi Rebels team. The game was a low scoring meeting that came down to the final quarter as Texas won 12–7.

The 1963 game featured the returning Texas Longhorns and the [[1963 LSU Tigers football team|LSU Tigers]], who, like Mississippi, were from the SEC.  [[Lynn Amedee]]'s 23-yard field goal gave the Tigers a 3–0 halftime lead after Texas had missed their own which led to an 80-yard drive. This was the first field goal in the Classic since 1942. Amedee recovered a Longhorn fumble at the 37 early in the third quarter and [[Jimmy Field]] scored 5 plays later on a touchdown run.  Buddy Hamic recovered a Longhorn fumble to set up an Amedee field goal 13 plays later as the Tigers shut the Longhorns out.<ref>{{cite web|title=38-49.pmd |url=http://media.attcottonbowl.com/resource/history/1963/rsrc/1963-Classic-Recap.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212220912/http://media.attcottonbowl.com/resource/history/1963/rsrc/1963-Classic-Recap.pdf |archive-date=December 12, 2014 |url-status=live |access-date=2014-12-28 |df=mdy }}</ref>

In 1964, No. 1 [[1963 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] completed an undefeated season by defeating No. 2 [[1963 Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy]] (led by [[Heisman Trophy]] winner and future [[Dallas Cowboys]] quarterback [[Roger Staubach]]). The game was played six weeks after the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]] (coincidentally, a retired Naval officer) in Dallas. The 1964 game is the second [[bowl game]] in college football history to pair the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation (the [[1963 Rose Bowl]] being the first).

In 1965, the Arkansas Razorbacks took an undefeated record (10–0) into the Classic versus a 9–1 Nebraska Cornhuskers team. Although Alabama had been awarded the AP and UPI (Coaches) polls national titles before the bowl games (which was standard at that time), Arkansas still had a chance to claim a share of the national championship with a victory over Nebraska. After a hard-fought defensive battle, the Hogs prevailed 10–7. That victory, coupled with an Alabama loss in the Orange Bowl to Texas (a team Arkansas defeated in Austin, Texas.), gave Arkansas the Grantland Rice Trophy emblematic of the national championship awarded by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

In the 1966 game, Arkansas put its 22-game winning streak at risk playing LSU, who defeated the Razorbacks, 14–7.

The 1967 game was moved to Saturday, December 31, 1966, due to the [[Dallas Cowboys]] hosting the [[1966 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship Game]] at the stadium on New Year's Day, a Sunday. The other major bowl games that year—the [[1967 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]], [[1967 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]], and [[1967 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]]—were played on Monday, January 2.

The 1968 game saw SWC champs [[1967 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]], led by coach [[Gene Stallings]] defeat former A&M head coach [[Bear Bryant]] and the [[1967 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama Crimson Tide]]. Stallings was one of Bryant's "[[Junction Boys]]" as well as a former assistant, and would eventually go on to coach the Tide. After the Aggies defeated the Tide 20–16, Bryant embraced Stallings and carried him off the field.

In 1969, Texas was off and running with its new offensive formation, the Wishbone. After dismantling all opponents of the 1968 season, Texas won the SWC crown again and this time faced the Tennessee Volunteers, in what was a lopsided win for Texas with almost 400 rushing yards. Texas won 36–13.

===1970s===
The 1970 game featured [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]]'s return to [[Bowl game|bowl]] games after a 45-year self-imposed ban. When the Irish made that decision, 9–1 LSU was overlooked for the game, and the Tigers stayed home instead. The Irish, led by quarterback [[Joe Theismann]], faced top-ranked and undefeated [[1969 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]. Notre Dame led 17–14 late in the fourth quarter, but the Longhorns scored a late touchdown to clinch a 21–17 victory and an undisputed national championship. The same two teams met the next year, but this time, the Irish ended the Longhorns' 30-game winning streak with a 24–11 victory, denying [[1970 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] the [[Associated Press]] national championship (the Longhorns had already clinched the regular season  championship in the [[United Press International|UPI]] poll, a pre-bowl poll until the [[1974 NCAA Division I football season|1974]] season; [[1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]] won the AP title). Texas and Notre Dame met again in the 1978 game, with the Longhorns again top-ranked, only to see the Irish and quarterback [[Joe Montana]] roll to a 38–10 victory. The Irish vaulted from fifth to first in the final polls with the victory.

The 1973 game featured Texas and Alabama once again playing in a bowl game. Alabama led 13–10 going into the 4th quarter when Texas quarterback, Alan Lowry, ran the bootleg to perfection and scrambled 32 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Again, Texas defeated Alabama and [[Bear Bryant]], 17–13.

The 1976 Cotton Bowl showcased SWC co-Champ Arkansas against SEC stalwart Georgia. The Razorbacks had beaten No. 2 Texas A&M in a blowout to force a tie for the conference crown, and opened the door for Arkansas to stroll to Dallas on New Year's Day. After the Bulldogs jumped out to a 10–0 lead, the Hogs came roaring back, scoring 31 unanswered points, and defeating Georgia, 31–10. Arkansas finished the season 10–2.

The 1977 Cotton Bowl featured SWC Champions Houston Cougars, who were entering the Cotton Bowl for the first time, against the undefeated Maryland Terrapins. Houston won 30–21, handing the Terps their only loss of the year.

The [[1979 Cotton Bowl Classic]], nicknamed the Chicken Soup Game, featured one of the most historic comebacks in bowl history. Notre Dame trailed [[Houston Cougars football|Houston]] 34–12 midway through the fourth quarter. Thanks to a blocked punt and the brilliance of future NFL Hall of Famer [[Joe Montana]], the Irish rallied to win 35–34, their second consecutive Cotton Bowl Classic victory.

===1980s===
The 1982 game between Texas and Alabama would be the final time that Bear Bryant would face the Longhorns. Having lost to Texas in all meetings prior, Alabama went into the fourth quarter ahead 10–0 and it would appear that the Bear would finally get a win over Texas while at Alabama. But the Longhorns scored their first points with a [[quarterback draw]] by [[Robert Brewer (American football)|Robert Brewer]] on a 3rd-and-long with 10:38 remaining.<ref>{{YouTube|1EVsqL7ps8o|Robert Brewer QB draw}}</ref> On Texas' next possession, [[Terry Orr]] scored from eight yards out to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive to put the Longhorns up 14–10 with 2:05 remaining. Alabama's [[Joey Jones (American football)|Joey Jones]] returned the ensuing kickoff to the Texas 38-yard line, and Tide quarterback [[Walter Lewis (American football)|Walter Lewis]] took over with 1:54 left. On the very next play, UT's [[William Graham (American football)|William Graham]] picked off a Lewis pass at the one. The Longhorns took a [[Safety (American football score)|safety]] to insure better field position and Texas once again stunned Alabama and the Bear with a 14–12 victory.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.texassports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/fb-great-games-1980s.html |title=Great Games & Moments: 1980s |work=Mack Brown Texas Football |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722035516/http://www.texassports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/fb-great-games-1980s.html |archive-date=July 22, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The 1984 game featured No. 7 Georgia of the SEC against undefeated No. 2 Texas of the SWC. Texas led 9–3 with more than four minutes to play in a battle of field goals between Georgia's [[Kevin Butler (American football)|Kevin Butler]] and Texas' Jeff Ward. A Chip Andrews (Georgia) punt was muffed by Texas defensive back [[Craig Curry]] late in the fourth quarter, then Georgia [[quarterback]] John Lastinger ran 17 yards for a [[touchdown]] with 3:22 left to play to capture a 10–9 victory, costing the Longhorns a possible national title.

The 1989 game between [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] and [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas]] was highly publicized in the Dallas area because Bruin quarterback [[Troy Aikman]] was expected to be the top pick in the [[1989 NFL draft]]; the first pick was held by the [[Dallas Cowboys]]. Much was made of Cowboys longtime head coach [[Tom Landry]] watching Aikman practice at [[Texas Stadium]], UCLA's practice facility for game preparation. Landry never got to draft Aikman, because he was fired the next month, but his successor, [[Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)|Jimmy Johnson]], did. UCLA and Aikman won, 17–3.

The Cotton Bowl Classic has seen its share of great quarterbacks. [[Sammy Baugh]], [[Davey O'Brien]], [[Babe Parilli]], [[Bobby Layne]], [[Norm Van Brocklin]], [[Y. A. Tittle]], [[Bart Starr]], [[Roger Staubach]], [[Ken Stabler]], [[Joe Theismann]], [[Joe Montana]], [[Dan Marino]], [[Doug Flutie]], [[Troy Aikman]], and [[Eli Manning]] all have played in the game.

Three of the four [[Heisman Trophy]] winners from the 1984–87 seasons finished their college career in the Cotton Bowl Classic: Doug Flutie for [[Boston College Eagles football|Boston College]] in January 1985, [[Bo Jackson]] of [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn]] in 1986, and [[Tim Brown (American football)|Tim Brown]] of [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] in 1988.

Brown and fellow Heisman winner [[Davey O'Brien]], who played in the 1937 Cotton Bowl, both attended nearby [[Woodrow Wilson High School (Dallas, Texas)|Woodrow Wilson High School]] in the Lakewood area. "Woodrow" became the first high school ever to produce two Heisman winners.

===1990s===
For 53 years, the SWC champion played as the home team in the Cotton Bowl Classic, a tie-in which continued through the [[1994 NCAA Division I-A football season|1994 season]]. Until the mid-1980s, the contest was almost universally counted as a major New Year's Day bowl. However, by the late 1980s, the Cotton Bowl Classic's prestige had fallen significantly. During the 1980s, many SWC teams were left ineligible for postseason play due to [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] probations for rule violations. Also, the conference's quality of play suffered a marked decline. The SWC champion lost the last seven times in which it received an automatic bid to the game, and the last national champion for almost four decades to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic was Notre Dame in 1977 (eventual national champions Alabama and Clemson would later play in the Cotton Bowl after the 2015 and 2018 seasons, respectively). Finally, the Cotton Bowl Classic was played outdoors during cold weather on occasion (most notably the 1979 game).

Meanwhile, the [[Fiesta Bowl]], unhindered by conference tie-ins and played in generally warm weather, propelled itself to major-bowl status by attracting [[NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship|national championship]] contenders, most notably with its January [[1987 Fiesta Bowl|1987]] matchup between [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]] and [[Miami Hurricanes football|Miami]]. In the minds of many fans, the Fiesta replaced the Cotton as a major bowl. Despite this, the Cotton Bowl Classic still retained enough prestige that it was included as one of the top bowls in the [[Bowl Coalition]] when it was formed in 1992. However, in 1995, the new [[Bowl Alliance]] (the predecessor of the BCS) chose to include the Fiesta over the Cotton in its rotation. While it was still capable of landing Top 10 teams, it was no longer in a position to decide the national championship. In 18 of the 21 seasons since 1995, the Cotton Bowl has featured two ranked opponents. In the other three seasons, one of the teams was ranked (2002, 2003, and 2010).

In 1995, the SWC gave up control of the Cotton Bowl Classic as part of its planned dissolution after the season. From 1999 to 2014, the Cotton Bowl Classic had the second pick from the Big 12 after the [[Bowl Alliance]] and its successor, the [[Bowl Championship Series]]–usually the championship game loser or a division runner-up.

From 1996 to 1998, the other participant was either the champion of the [[Western Athletic Conference]] or the runner-up of the [[Pac-10 Conference]]. In 1996, the No. 5 [[1996 BYU Cougars football team|BYU Cougars]] joined Notre Dame as the only programs outside of a major conference to play in the Cotton Bowl in the modern era, defeating the [[Kansas State Wildcats]] 19–15, winning an NCAA record 14th game, and finishing the season ranked fifth in the country with a 14–1 record.

In 1999, the Cotton Bowl arranged for a team from the [[Southeastern Conference]] to be the Big 12 opponent, and Southwestern Bell (now AT&T) began sponsoring the event. More often than not, the SEC representative was the runner-up from the West Division. However, Tennessee appeared in 2001 and 2005, and Missouri appeared in 2014.

===2000s===
Through 2008, the Cotton Bowl Classic continued to be played on New Year's Day (except in 2004 and 2006, when the game was moved to January 2) and was usually the second game of the day to kick off, generally following the [[Outback Bowl]].

This decade was kicked off in grand fashion, as two former Southwest Conference rivals faced off in the 2000 Classic. The [[Arkansas Razorbacks]], now a member of the SEC ({{as of|1992|lc=yes}}), and Texas Longhorns, now a member of the Big XII ({{as of|1996|lc=yes}}) faced off in the first college football game of the last year of the 20th Century. After a lackluster first half ended with the game tied 3–3, the Razorbacks opened things up, led by Offensive MVP running back [[Cedric Cobbs]]. Arkansas beat their former hated rival, 27–6, holding the Longhorns to negative yards rushing, and sacking the Texas QB a bowl-record 8 times.

The 2003 Cotton Bowl Classic saw a rematch between the Texas Longhorns and the LSU Tigers. LSU led at the half 17–7 however Roy Williams of Texas had a tremendous breakout in the second half to lead Texas to victory over the Tigers, 35–20.
The 2004 Cotton Bowl Classic saw the return of the [[Mississippi Rebels football|Mississippi Rebels]], whose last appearance in the Cotton Bowl Classic was a 12–7 loss to Texas in 1962. The 2004 Cotton Bowl Classic would also be [[New York Giants]] quarterback [[Eli Manning]]'s last college football game. Manning led his team to beat [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma State]] 31–28.

The 2007 Cotton Bowl Classic was between [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn Tigers]] and the [[2006 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska Cornhuskers]]; Auburn won 17–14.

In the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic, [[Missouri Tigers football|Missouri]]'s running back [[Tony Temple]] broke the bowl game rushing record by gaining 281 yards on 24 carries. (The record was previously held by Rice's Dickey Maegle, who had rushed for 265 yards.) Missouri beat Arkansas 38–7.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.attcottonbowl.com/news_room/releases.php?uid=189|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228081348/http://www.attcottonbowl.com/news_room/releases.php?uid=189|url-status=dead|title=2009 AT&T COTTON BOWL CLASSIC<!-- Bot generated title -->|archivedate=December 28, 2008|accessdate=March 11, 2023}}</ref>
[[File:2007 Cotton Bowl panoramic 1.jpg|thumb|450px|center|Panoramic view of the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic between [[2007 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]] and [[2007 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]]]

In April 2008, Cotton Bowl Classic officials announced that in 2009 and 2010 the game would be moved from its traditional start time of 10 a.m. CST on January 1 to 1 p.m. CST on January 2.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/cottonbowl/stories/043008dnspocottonlede.317be23.html|title=AT&T Cotton Bowl plans to move to Jan. 2 in 2009|accessdate=March 11, 2023}}</ref>

{{Main|2009 Cotton Bowl Classic}}
In the final Cotton Bowl Classic game to be held in the Cotton Bowl stadium, the 8–4, No. 20 [[2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss Rebels]] defeated the 11–1, No. 7 [[2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team|Texas Tech Red Raiders]], 47–34. Tech quarterback [[Graham Harrell]] broke the NCAA record in this game for most touchdown passes thrown by anyone in Cotton Bowl Classic history.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/01/graham-harrells.html | work=The Los Angeles Times | title=The Fabulous Forum | date=January 2, 2009}}</ref>

===2010s===
In 2010, the Cotton Bowl Classic moved to the new Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, as part of a bid by bowl officials to make it part of the BCS in 2011. The Cotton Bowl had recently been remodeled and expanded to over 92,000 seats as part of a long-term drive to regain major status for the bowl game. However, Dallas' frequently cold January weather had been a longstanding concern, and was thought to have hampered any prospect of upgrading the game to the BCS. In contrast, the new stadium would offer top amenities and a retractable roof.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/bowls07/news/story?id=3172508|title=Cotton Bowl reportedly hoping to join BCS party in 2011|work=ESPN.com|date=December 29, 2007 |access-date=October 3, 2015}}</ref> A new four-year agreement between the BCS and [[ESPN]] had forestalled any possibility of the Cotton Bowl Classic joining the BCS until 2015 at the earliest.<ref>[http://www.star-telegram.com/330/story/1046831.html Cotton Bowl puts its BCS hopes on hold for now]</ref> Later findings that the [[Fiesta Bowl]] reimbursed employees more than $46,000 for political contributions could have opened the door for the Cotton Bowl to replace the Fiesta in the BCS bowl rotation;<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110403014431/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/ncaa/03/30/fiesta-bowl-bcs.ap/index.html#ixzz1I8IZ4dwj BCS confident it could cut ties with Fiesta Bowl if deemed necessary]</ref> however, the Fiesta Bowl did not lose its BCS rotation.

In the [[2010 Cotton Bowl Classic]] played between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Ole Miss Rebels at the new Cowboys Stadium, the Rebels shut down the high scoring Cowboys offense to win the 74th annual Cotton Bowl Classic 21–7.

In 2010, the Cotton Bowl celebrated its 75th anniversary with a new logo dedicated to the yearlong celebration. [[2010 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] played [[2010 LSU Tigers football team|Louisiana State University]] in the [[2011 Cotton Bowl Classic|2011 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic]] on January 7, 2011. LSU would beat Texas A&M 41–24. This was the first Cotton Bowl Classic to be played in [[prime time]], as well as the latest calendar date for the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.attcottonbowl.com/news/news-releases/2010/12/lsu-accepts-invitation-to-play-texas-am-in-att-cotton-bowl-classic/|title=News Releases – Cotton Bowl Classic|work=attcottonbowl.com|access-date=October 3, 2015|archive-date=March 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309155353/http://attcottonbowl.com/news/news-releases/2010/12/lsu-accepts-invitation-to-play-texas-am-in-att-cotton-bowl-classic|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the [[2012 Cotton Bowl Classic|2012 match-up]], the [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas Razorbacks]] defeated the  [[Kansas State Wildcats football|Kansas State Wildcats]] 29–16. It was a BCS-worthy game, featuring two Top 10 teams. The game was highlighted by Razorback Joe Adams punt return of 51 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, to give Arkansas early command. It was the first punt returned for a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl Classic since former Razorback Lance Alworth did it in 1961. After the Hogs posted 19 unanswered points, Kansas State responded with 16 consecutive points of their own in the second and third quarters. But the Razorbacks pulled away late in the third quarter and early fourth quarter, led by quarterback Tyler Wilson, the game's offensive MVP. Arkansas improved to 11–2 for the 2011 season, and finished ranked No. 5, while K-State fell to 10–3.

In 2013, the No. 10 [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M Aggies]] defeated the No. 12 [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma Sooners]] 41–13 to win the Cotton Bowl Classic and to finish the season with an 11–2 record. [[Johnny Manziel]] rushed for 229 yards during the game, a Cotton Bowl record, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for two more. Though the halftime score was 14–13 Texas A&M, the Aggies went on to score 27 unanswered second half points to win the game.

The Cotton Bowl Classic returned to "major" bowl status in the 2014 season in conjunction with the first year of the new [[College Football Playoff]]. It will host a national semifinal once every three years (in the 2015, 2018, 2021, 2024 seasons), and in other years will host two at-large teams that did not get selected to the four-team playoff. As part of this move, television rights switched to ESPN, which also televises other games in the playoff system. The January 2015 game featured two team ranked in the top ten for the first time in 20 seasons; the No. 8 [[2014 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State Spartans]] of the [[Big Ten Conference]] and the No. 5 [[2014 Baylor Bears football team|Baylor Bears]] of the [[Big 12 Conference]]. The Spartans beat the Bears by a score of 42–41 to claim the school's first-ever Cotton Bowl Classic championship. The 2017 game saw the No. 15 [[Western Michigan Broncos football|Western Michigan Broncos]] of the [[Mid-American Conference]] (MAC) meet the No. 9 [[Wisconsin Badgers]] of the [[Big Ten Conference]]. The Badgers beat the previously undefeated Broncos, 24–16. The Broncos were the first team from the MAC to participate in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

==Sponsorship==
From 1989 until 1995, the game was sponsored by [[Mobil Oil]] and known as the '''Mobil Cotton Bowl Classic'''. From 1996 to 2013, the game was sponsored by [[Southwestern Bell Corporation]]; however, it went through several name changes, first in 2000 when the firm adopted a standardized "SBC" branding reflecting its name it adopted in 1995, [[SBC Communications]], and since 2006, after their acquisition of [[AT&T Corporation]], and its subsequent name change to [[AT&T|AT&T Inc.]], as the '''AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic'''.

On October 15, 2014, [[ESPN|ESPN.com]] reported that AT&T would no longer sponsor the Cotton Bowl since it already holds the naming rights to the stadium in which it is played.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sources: Cotton Bowl loses AT&T|url=https://www.espn.com/dallas/college-football/story/_/id/11705348/att-parts-ways-cotton-bowl-title-sponsor|access-date=October 16, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=AT&T will no longer sponsor Cotton Bowl|url=http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/15/att-will-no-longer-sponsor-cotton-bowl/|access-date=October 15, 2014}}</ref> On November 7, 2014, it was announced that [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] would become the new sponsor of the game, now known for sponsorship reasons as the '''Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic'''.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Goodyear Becomes Title Sponsor of Cotton Bowl Classic|url=http://www.attcottonbowl.com/news/news-releases/2014/11/goodyear-becomes-title-sponsor-cotton-bowl-classic|publisher=Cotton Bowl Athletic Association|date=7 November 2014|access-date=7 November 2014|archive-date=November 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109012530/http://www.attcottonbowl.com/news/news-releases/2014/11/goodyear-becomes-title-sponsor-cotton-bowl-classic|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Venues==
[[File:Cotton Bowl.JPG|thumb|right|Cotton Bowl Stadium]]
[[File:Dallas Cowboys stadium 05.JPG|thumb|right|AT&T Stadium]]

===Cotton Bowl===
{{Main|Cotton Bowl (stadium)}}
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1930 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as the Fair Park Bowl, it is located in [[Fair Park]], site of the [[State Fair of Texas]]. The Cotton Bowl Classic called its namesake home since the bowl's inception in 1937 until the 2010 game. The [[National Football League|NFL]]'s [[Dallas Cowboys]] called the Cotton Bowl home for 11 years, from the team's formation in 1960 until 1971, when the Cowboys moved to [[Texas Stadium]].
Although not the first established bowl game, the Cotton Bowl is a play on the phrase "cotton boll."   Texas is the leading producer of cotton in the United States.

===AT&T Stadium===
{{Main|AT&T Stadium}}
AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a [[domed stadium]] with a retractable roof in [[Arlington, Texas]]. After failed negotiations to return the Cowboys to the Cotton Bowl, Jerry Jones along with the city of Arlington, Texas funded the stadium at a cost of $1.15 billion. It was completed on May 29, 2009, and seats 80,000, but is expandable to seat up to 100,000. AT&T Stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/jerrydome_or_jerry_dome_dallas_cowboys_stadium_in_arlington/|title=The Big Apple: Jerrydome or Jerry Dome (Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington)|author=Barry Popik|work=barrypopik.com|access-date=October 3, 2015}}</ref>

A highlight of AT&T Stadium is its center-hung [[high-definition television]] screen, the second largest in the world. The {{convert|160|by|72|ft}}, {{convert|11520|ft2|adj=on}} scoreboard surpasses the {{convert|8736|ft2|0|abbr=on|adj=on}} screen that opened in 2009 at the renovated [[Kauffman Stadium]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Murph |first=Darren |url=http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/03/kansas-city-royals-to-get-worlds-largest-hd-led-scoreboard/ |title=Kansas City Royals to get 'world's largest' HD LED scoreboard |publisher=Engadgethd.com |date=May 18, 2009 |access-date=May 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926051042/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/03/kansas-city-royals-to-get-worlds-largest-hd-led-scoreboard |archive-date=September 26, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=MJD |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Jerry-Jones-aims-to-make-all-Cowboys-fans-blind?urn=nfl,87574 |title=Jerry Jones aims to make all Cowboys' fans blind by 2010 |work=Sports.yahoo.com |date=June 12, 2008 |access-date=November 28, 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/6/6/11 "Cowboys reveal world's largest HD LED screen to the public "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105192124/http://ledsmagazine.com/news/6/6/11 |date=November 5, 2013 }}, LEDs Magazine, August 23, 2009. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref>

==Game results==
All rankings are taken from the [[AP poll]] (inaugurated in [[1936 college football rankings|1936]]), before each game was played.

{| class="wikitable"
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Date played
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" colspan="2" | Winning team
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" colspan="2" | Losing team
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Attnd.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2015/bowls.pdf |title=Bowl/All Star Game Records |website=fs.ncaa.org |date=2015 |access-date=2018-12-15}}</ref>
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Notes
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1937 || '''No. 16 [[1936 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]''' || '''16''' || No. 20 [[1936 Marquette Golden Avalanche football team|Marquette]] || 6 || 17,000 || [[1937 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1938 || '''[[1937 Rice Owls football team|Rice]]''' || '''28''' || [[1937 Colorado Buffaloes football team|Colorado]] || 14 || 37,000 || [[1938 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 1939 || '''[[1938 Saint Mary's Gaels football team|Saint Mary's (CA)]]''' || '''20''' || No. 11 [[1938 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team|Texas Tech]] || 13 || 40,000 || [[1939 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1940 || '''[[1939 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]]''' || '''6''' || [[1939 Boston College Eagles football team|Boston College]] || 3 || 20,000 || [[1940 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1941 || '''No. 6 [[1940 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]''' || '''13''' || No. 12 [[1940 Fordham Rams football team|Fordham]] || 12 || 45,500 || [[1941 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1942 || '''No. 20 [[1941 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]]''' || '''29''' || No. 9 [[1941 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || 21 || 38,000 || [[1942 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1943 || '''No. 11 [[1942 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''14''' || [[1942 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team|Georgia Tech]] || 7 || 36,000 || [[1943 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1944 || ''No. 14 [[1943 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]'' || ''7'' || ''[[1943 Randolph Field Ramblers football team|Randolph Field]]'' || ''7'' || 15,000 || [[1944 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1945 || '''[[1944 Oklahoma A&M Cowboys football team|Oklahoma A&M]]''' || '''34''' || [[1944 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]] || 0 || 37,000 || [[1945 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1946 || '''No. 10 [[1945 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''40''' || [[1945 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]] || 27 || 45,000 || [[1946 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1947 || ''No. 8 [[1946 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]]'' || ''0'' || ''No. 16 [[1946 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]'' || ''0'' || 38,000 || [[1947 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1948 || ''No. 10 [[1947 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]'' || ''13'' || ''No. 18 [[1947 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]]'' || ''13'' || 43,000 || [[1948 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1949 || '''No. 10 [[1948 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]''' || '''21''' || No. 9 [[1948 Oregon Ducks football team|Oregon]] || 13 || 69,000 || [[1949 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 1950 || '''No. 5 [[1949 Rice Owls football team|Rice]]''' || '''27''' || No. 16 [[1949 North Carolina Tar Heels football team|North Carolina]] || 13 || 75,347 || [[1950 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1951 || '''No. 4 [[1950 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]]''' || '''20''' || No. 3 [[1950 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 14 || 75,349 || [[1951 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1952 || '''No. 15 [[1951 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky]]''' || '''20''' || No. 11 [[1951 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]] || 7 || 75,347 || [[1952 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1953 || '''No. 10 [[1952 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''16''' || No. 8  [[1952 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]] || 0 || 75,504 || [[1953 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1954 || '''No. 6 [[1953 Rice Owls football team|Rice]]''' || '''28''' || No. 13 [[1953 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] || 6 || 75,504 || [[1954 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1955 || '''[[1954 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team|Georgia Tech]]''' || '''14''' || No. 10 [[1954 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]] || 6 || 75,504 || [[1955 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 1956 || '''No. 10 [[1955 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]]''' || '''14''' || No. 6 [[1955 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]] || 13 || 75,504 || [[1956 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1957 || '''No. 14 [[1956 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]''' || '''28''' || No. 8 [[1956 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]] || 27 || 61,500–68,000 || [[1957 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1958 || '''No. 5 [[1957 Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy]]''' || '''20''' || No. 8 [[1957 Rice Owls football team|Rice]] || 7 || 75,504 || [[1958 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1959 || ''No. 10 [[1958 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]'' || ''0'' || No. 6 ''[[1958 Air Force Falcons football team|Air Force]]'' || ''0'' || 75,504 || [[1959 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1960 || '''No. 1 [[1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]]''' || '''23''' || No. 4 [[1959 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 14 || 75,504 || [[1960 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 1961 || '''No. 10 [[1960 Duke Blue Devils football team|Duke]]''' || '''7''' || No. 7 [[1960 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]] || 6 || 74,000 || [[1961 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1962 || '''No. 3 [[1961 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''12''' || No. 5 [[1961 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]] || 7 || 75,504 || [[1962 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1963 || '''No. 7 [[1962 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]]''' || '''13''' || No. 4 [[1962 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 0 || 75,504 || [[1963 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1964 || '''No. 1 [[1963 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''28''' || No. 2 [[1963 Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy]] || 6 || 75,504 || [[1964 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1965 || '''No. 2 [[1964 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]''' || '''10''' || No. 6 [[1964 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]] || 7 || 75,504 || [[1965 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1966 || '''[[1965 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]]''' || '''14''' || No. 2 [[1965 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]] || 7 || 76,200 || [[1966 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|notes]]
|-
| December 31, 1966 || '''No. 4 [[1966 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]]''' || '''24''' || No. 10 [[1966 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]] || 9 || 75,400 || [[1966 Cotton Bowl Classic (December)|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1968 || '''[[1967 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]''' || '''20''' || No. 8 [[1967 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] || 16 || 75,504 || [[1968 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1969 || '''No. 5 [[1968 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''36''' || No. 8 [[1968 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]] || 13 || 72,000 || [[1969 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1970 || '''No. 1 [[1969 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''21''' || No. 9 [[1969 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 17 || 73,000 || [[1970 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1971 || '''No. 6 [[1970 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || '''24''' || No. 1 [[1970 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 11 || 72,000 || [[1971 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1972 || '''No. 10 [[1971 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]]''' || '''30''' || No. 12 [[1971 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 6 || 72,000 || [[1972 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1973 || '''No. 7 [[1972 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''17''' || No. 4 [[1972 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] || 13 || 72,000 || [[1973 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1974 || '''No. 12 [[1973 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]]''' || '''19''' || No. 8 [[1973 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 3 || 67,500 || [[1974 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1975 || '''No. 7 [[1974 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]]''' || '''41''' || No. 12 [[1974 Baylor Bears football team|Baylor]] || 20 || 67,500–68,500 || [[1975 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1976 || '''No. 18 [[1975 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]''' || '''31''' || No. 12 [[1975 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]] || 10 || 74,500 || [[1976 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1977 || '''No. 6 [[1976 Houston Cougars football team|Houston]]''' || '''30''' || No. 4 [[1976 Maryland Terrapins football team|Maryland]] || 21 || 54,500 || [[1977 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 1978 || '''No. 5 [[1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || '''38''' || No. 1 [[1977 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 10 || 76,601 || [[1978 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1979 || '''No. 10 [[1978 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || '''35''' || No. 9 [[1978 Houston Cougars football team|Houston]] || 34 || 32,500 || [[1979 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1980 || '''No. 8 [[1979 Houston Cougars football team|Houston]]''' || '''17''' || No. 7 [[1979 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]] || 14 || 72,032 || [[1980 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1981 || '''No. 9 [[1980 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]]''' || '''30''' || No. 6 [[1980 Baylor Bears football team|Baylor]] || 2 || 74,281 || [[1981 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1982 || '''No. 6 [[1981 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''14''' || No. 3 [[1981 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]] || 12 || 73,243 || [[1982 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1983 || '''No. 4 [[1982 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]''' || '''7''' || No. 6 [[1982 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|Pittsburgh]] || 3 || 60,359 || [[1983 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 1984 || '''No. 7 [[1983 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]]''' || '''10''' || No. 2 [[1983 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 9 || 67,891 || [[1984 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1985 || '''No. 8 [[1984 Boston College Eagles football team|Boston College]]''' || '''45''' || [[1984 Houston Cougars football team|Houston]] || 28 || 56,522 || [[1985 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1986 || '''No. 11 [[1985 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]''' || '''36''' || No. 16 [[1985 Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn]] || 16 || 73,137 || [[1986 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1987 || '''No. 11 [[1986 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]]''' || '''28''' || No. 8 [[1986 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || 12 || 74,188 || [[1987 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1988 || '''No. 13 [[1987 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]''' || '''35''' || No. 12 [[1987 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 10 || 73,006 || [[1988 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 1989 || '''No. 9 [[1988 UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA]]''' || '''17''' || No. 8 [[1988 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]] || 3 || 74,304 || [[1989 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1990 || '''No. 8 [[1989 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]]''' || '''31''' || No. 10 [[1989 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]] || 27 || 74,358 || [[1990 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1991 || '''No. 4 [[1990 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]]''' || '''46''' || No. 3 [[1990 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 3 || 73,521 || [[1991 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1992 || '''No. 5 [[1991 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]]''' || '''10''' || No. 9 [[1991 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || 2 || 73,728 || [[1992 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1993 || '''No. 5 [[1992 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || '''28''' || No. 4 [[1992 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || 3 || 71,615 || [[1993 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1994 || '''No. 4 [[1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || '''24''' || No. 7 [[1993 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || 21 || 69,855|| [[1994 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 1995 || '''No. 21 [[1994 USC Trojans football team|USC]]''' || '''55''' || [[1994 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team|Texas Tech]] || 14 || 70,218 || [[1995 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1996 || '''No. 7 [[1995 Colorado Buffaloes football team|Colorado]]''' || '''38''' || No. 12 [[1995 Oregon Ducks football team|Oregon]] || 6 || 58,214 || [[1996 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1997 || '''No. 5 [[1996 BYU Cougars football team|BYU]]''' || '''19''' || No. 14 [[1996 Kansas State Wildcats football team|Kansas State]] || 15 || 71,928 || [[1997 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1998 || '''No. 5 [[1997 UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA]]''' || '''29''' || No. 20 [[1997 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || 23 || 59,215 || [[1998 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 1999 || '''No. 20 [[1998 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''38''' || No. 25 [[1998 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|Mississippi State]] || 11 || 72,611 || [[1999 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 2000 || '''No. 24 [[1999 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]''' || '''27''' || No. 14 [[1999 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 6 || 72,723 || [[2000 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 2001 || '''No. 11 [[2000 Kansas State Wildcats football team|Kansas State]]''' || '''35''' || No. 21 [[2000 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]] || 21 || 63,465 || [[2001 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 2002 || '''No. 10 [[2001 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]]''' || '''10''' || [[2001 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]] || 3 || 72,955 || [[2002 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 2003 || '''No. 9 [[2002 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]''' || '''35''' || [[2002 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]] || 20 || 70,817 || [[2003 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 2004 || '''No. 16 [[2003 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]]''' || '''31''' || No. 21 [[2003 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team|Oklahoma State]] || 28 || 73,928 || [[2004 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 2005 || '''No. 15 [[2004 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]]''' || '''38''' || No. 22 [[2004 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || 7 || 75,704 || [[2005 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 2006 || '''No. 8 [[2005 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]]''' || '''13''' || No. 20 [[2005 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team|Texas Tech]] || 10 || 74,222 || [[2006 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 2007 || '''No. 10 [[2006 Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn]]''' || '''17''' || No. 22  [[2006 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]] || 14 || 66,777 || [[2007 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 2008 || '''No. 7 [[2007 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]]''' || '''38''' || No. 25 [[2007 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]] || 7 || 73,114 || [[2008 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 2009 || '''No. 20 [[2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]]''' || '''47''' || No. 8 [[2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team|Texas Tech]] || 34 || 88,175 || [[2009 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 2010 || '''[[2009 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]]''' || '''21''' || No. 21 [[2009 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team|Oklahoma State]] || 7 || 77,928 || [[2010 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 7, 2011 || '''No. 11 [[2010 LSU Tigers football team|LSU]]''' || '''41''' || No. 18 [[2010 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] || 24 || 83,514 || [[2011 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 6, 2012 || '''No. 7 [[2011 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]''' || '''29'''  || No. 11 [[2011 Kansas State Wildcats football team|Kansas State]] || 16 || 80,956 || [[2012 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 4, 2013 || '''No. 9 [[2012 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]''' || '''41''' || No. 11 [[2012 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]] || 13 || 87,025 || [[2013 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 3, 2014 || '''No. 9 [[2013 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]]''' || '''41''' || No. 13 [[2013 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team|Oklahoma State]] || 31 || 72,690 || [[2014 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 1, 2015 || '''No. 7 [[2014 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State]]''' || '''42''' || No. 4 [[2014 Baylor Bears football team|Baylor]] || 41 || 71,464 || [[2015 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|notes]]
|-
| December 31, 2015{{ref|SF|SF}} || '''No. 2 [[2015 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]]''' || '''38''' || No. 3 [[2015 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State]] || 0 || 82,812 || [[2015 Cotton Bowl Classic (December)|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 2017 || '''No. 8 [[2016 Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin]]''' || '''24''' || No. 12 [[2016 Western Michigan Broncos football team|Western Michigan]] || 16  || 59,615 || [[2017 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|notes]]
|-
| December 29, 2017 || '''No. 5 [[2017 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]]''' || '''24''' || No. 8 [[2017 USC Trojans football team|USC]] || 7 || 67,510 || [[2017 Cotton Bowl Classic (December)|notes]]
|-
| December 29, 2018{{ref|SF|SF}} || '''No. 2 [[2018 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]]''' || '''30''' || No. 3 [[2018 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 3 || 72,183 || [[2018 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| December 28, 2019 || '''No. 13 [[2019 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]]''' || '''53''' || No. 15 [[2019 Memphis Tigers football team|Memphis]] || 39 || 54,828 || [[2019 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| December 30, 2020 || '''No. 8 [[2020 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]]''' || '''55''' ||  No. 10 [[2020 Florida Gators football team|Florida]] || 20 || 17,323 || [[2020 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| December 31, 2021{{ref|SF|SF}} || '''No. 1 [[2021 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]]''' || '''27''' || No. 4 [[2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]] || 6 || 76,313 || [[2021 Cotton Bowl Classic|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 2, 2023 || '''No. 14 [[2022 Tulane Green Wave football team|Tulane]]''' || '''46''' ||  No. 8 [[2022 USC Trojans football team|USC]] ||45 || 55,329 || [[2023 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|notes]]
|-
| align=center|December 29, 2023 || '''No. 9 [[2023 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]]''' || '''14''' || No. 7 [[2023 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]] ||3|| 70,114 || [[2023 Cotton Bowl Classic (December)|notes]]
|-
| align=center|January 10, 2025{{ref|SF|SF}}|| '''{{abbr|No. 6|AP poll ranking}} [[2024 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]]''' || '''28''' || {{abbr|No. 4|AP poll ranking}} [[2024 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] || 14 || 74,527 || [[2025 Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|notes]]
|-
|}<!--
EDITORS: For all games, AP rankings are used.
--> 
Source:<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/Bowls.pdf |magazine=Bowl/All Star Game Records |title=Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic |pages=5–6 |via=NCAA.org |publisher=NCAA |date=2020 |access-date=January 3, 2021}}</ref>
:{{note|QF|QF}} Denotes [[College Football Playoff]] quarterfinal game
:{{note|SF|SF}} Denotes College Football Playoff semifinal game

===Future games===
{{main|New Year's Six#Future games}}

==Most Outstanding Player awards==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 95%;"
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Date played
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|MVP(s)
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Team
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Position
|-
|rowspan=3 |January 1, 1937 || [[Ki Aldrich]] || TCU || C
|-
|[[Sammy Baugh]] || TCU || QB
|-
|[[L. D. Meyer|L.D. "Dutch" Meyer]] || TCU || K
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1938 || [[Ernie Lain]] || Rice || HB
|-
|[[Byron White|Byron "Whizzer" White]] || Colorado || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1939 || [[Jerry Dowd]] || St. Mary's (CA) || C
|-
|[[Elmer Tarbox]] || Texas Tech || HB
|-
|January 1, 1940 || [[Banks McFadden]] || Clemson || B
|-
|rowspan=5 | January 1, 1941 || [[Charles Henke]] || Texas A&M || G
|-
|[[John Kimbrough]] || Texas A&M || FB
|-
|[[Chip Roult]] || Texas A&M || T
|-
|[[Lou DeFilippo]] || Fordham || C
|-
|[[Joe Ungerer]] || Fordham || T
|-
|rowspan=4 | January 1, 1942 || [[Jimmy Nelson (American football)|Jimmy Nelson]] || Alabama || HB
|-
|[[Holt Rast]] || Alabama || E
|-
|[[Don Whitmire]] || Alabama || T
|-
|[[Martin Ruby]] || Texas A&M || T
|-
|rowspan=5 | January 1, 1943 || Jack Freeman || Texas || G
|-
|[[Roy McKay (American football)|Roy McKay]] || Texas || B
|-
|[[Stan Mauldin|Stanley Mauldin]] || Texas || T
|-
|[[Harvey Hardy]] || Georgia Tech || G
|-
|[[Jack Marshall (American football)|Jack Marshall]] || Georgia Tech || E
|-
|rowspan=3 | January 1, 1944 || [[Martin Ruby]] || Randolph Field || T
|-
|[[Glenn Dobbs]] || Randolph Field || QB
|-
|[[Joe Parker (American football)|Joe Parker]] || Texas || E
|-
|rowspan=3 | January 1, 1945 || [[Neill Armstrong]] || Oklahoma A&M || E
|-
|[[Bob Fenimore]] || Oklahoma A&M || RB
|-
|[[Ralph Foster (American football player)|Ralph Foster]] || Oklahoma A&M || DT
|-
|rowspan=3 | January 1, 1946 || [[Hub Bechtol]] || Texas || E
|-
|[[Bobby Layne]] || Texas || B
|-
|[[Jim Kekeris]] || Missouri || T
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1947 || [[Al Baldwin|Alton Baldwin]] || Arkansas || E
|-
|[[Y. A. Tittle]] || LSU || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1948 || [[Steve Suhey]] || Penn State || G
|-
|[[Doak Walker]] || SMU || RB
|-
|rowspan=4 | January 1, 1949 || [[Kyle Rote]] || SMU || RB
|-
|[[Doak Walker]] || SMU || RB
|-
|[[Brad Ecklund]] || Oregon || C
|-
|[[Norm Van Brocklin]] || Oregon || QB
|-
|rowspan=3 | January 2, 1950 || [[Billy Burkhalter]] || Rice || HB
|-
|[[Joe Watson (American football)|Joe Watson]] || Rice || C
|-
|[[James Williams (end)|James Williams]] || Rice || E
|-
|rowspan=4 | January 1, 1951 || [[Andy Kozar]] || Tennessee || FB
|-
|[[Hank Lauricella]] || Tennessee || HB
|-
|[[Bud Sherrod|Horace "Bud" Sherrod]] || Tennessee || DE
|-
|[[Bud McFadin]] || Texas || G
|-
|rowspan=4 | January 1, 1952 || [[Emery Clark]] || Kentucky || HB
|-
|[[Ray Correll]] || Kentucky || G
|-
|[[Vito (Babe) Parilli|Vito "Babe" Parilli]] || Kentucky || QB
|-
|[[Keith Flowers]] || TCU || FB
|-
|rowspan=3 | January 1, 1953 || [[Richard Ochoa]] || Texas || FB
|-
|[[Harley Sewell]] || Texas || G
|-
|[[Bob Griesbach]] || Tennessee || LB
|-
|rowspan=3 | January 1, 1954 || [[Richard Chapman (American football)|Richard Chapman]] || Rice || T
|-
|[[Dan Hart]] || Rice || E
|-
|[[Dickey Moegle|Dickey Maegle]] || Rice || HB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1955 || [[George Humphreys (American football)|George Humphreys]] || Georgia Tech || FB
|-
|[[Bud Brooks]] || Arkansas || G
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 1956 || [[Buddy Alliston]] || Ole Miss || G
|-
|[[Eagle Day (American football)|Eagle Day]] || Ole Miss || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1957 || [[Norman Hamilton (American football)|Norman Hamilton]] || TCU || T
|-
|[[Jim Brown]] || Syracuse || HB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1958 || [[Tom Forrestal]] || Navy || QB
|-
|[[Tony Stremic]] || Navy || G
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1959 || [[Dave Phillips (American football)|Dave Phillips]] || Air Force || T
|-
|[[Jack Spikes]] || TCU || FB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1960 || [[Ernie Davis]] || Syracuse || HB
|-
|[[Maurice Doke]] || Texas || G
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 1961 || [[Dwight Bumgarner]] || Duke || T
|-
|[[Lance Alworth]] || Arkansas || HB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1962 || [[Mike Cotten]] || Texas || QB
|-
|[[Bob Moses (American football)|Bob Moses]] || Texas || E
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1963 || [[Lynn Amedee]] || LSU || QB
|-
|[[Johnny Treadwell]] || Texas || G
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1964 || [[Scott Appleton]] || Texas || T
|-
|[[Duke Carlisle]] || Texas || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1965 || [[Ronnie Caveness]] || Arkansas || LB
|-
|[[Fred Marshall (American football)|Fred Marshall]] || Arkansas || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1966 || [[Joe Labruzzo]] || LSU || TB
|-
|[[David McCormick]] || LSU || T
|-
|rowspan=2 | December 31, 1966 || [[Kent Lawrence]] || Georgia || TB
|-
|George Patton || Georgia || T
|-
|rowspan=3 | January 1, 1968 || [[Grady Allen]] || Texas A&M || DE
|-
|[[Edd Hargett]] || Texas A&M || QB
|-
|[[Bill Hobbs (American football)|Bill Hobbs]] || Texas A&M || LB
|-
|rowspan = "3" | January 1, 1969 || [[Tom Campbell (American football player)|Tom Campbell]] || Texas || LB
|-
|[[Cotton Speyrer]] || Texas || WR
|-
|[[James Street (quarterback)|James Street]] || Texas || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1970 || [[Steve Worster]] || Texas || FB
|-
|[[Bob Olson]] || Notre Dame || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1971 || [[Clarence Ellis]] || Notre Dame || CB
|-
|[[Eddie Phillips (American football)|Eddie Phillips]] || Texas || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1972 || [[Bruce Bannon]] || Penn State || DE
|-
|[[Lydell Mitchell]] || Penn State || RB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1973 || [[Randy Braband]] || Texas || LB
|-
|[[Alan Lowry]] || Texas || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1974 || [[Tony Davis (running back)|Tony Davis]] || Nebraska || TB
|-
|[[Wade Johnston (American football)|Wade Johnston]] || Texas || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1975 || [[Tom Shuman]] || Penn State || QB
|-
|[[Ken Quesenberry]] || Baylor || S
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 95%;"
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Date played
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|MVP(s)
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Team
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Position
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1976 || [[Ike Forte]] || Arkansas || HB
|-
|[[Hal McAfee]] || Arkansas || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1977 || [[Alois Blackwell]] || Houston || RB
|-
|[[Mark Mohr (American football)|Mark Mohr]] || Houston || CB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 1978 || [[Vagas Ferguson]] || Notre Dame || RB
|-
|[[Bob Golic]] || Notre Dame || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1979 || [[Joe Montana]] || Notre Dame || QB
|-
|[[David Hodge (American football)|David Hodge]] || Houston || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1980 || [[Terry Elston]] || Houston || QB
|-
|[[David Hodge (American football)|David Hodge]] || Houston || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1981 || [[Warren Lyles]] || Alabama || NG
|-
|[[Major Ogilvie]] || Alabama || RB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1982 || [[Robert Brewer (American football)|Robert Brewer]] || Texas || QB
|-
| [[Robbie Jones (linebacker)|Robbie Jones]] || Alabama || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1983 || [[Wes Hopkins]] || SMU || SS
|-
|[[Lance McIlhenny]] || SMU || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1984 || [[John Lastinger]] || Georgia || QB
|-
|[[Jeff Leiding]] || Texas || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1985 || [[Bill Romanowski]] || Boston College || LB
|-
|[[Steve Strachan (athlete)|Steve Strachan]] || Boston College || FB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1986 || [[Domingo Bryant]] || Texas A&M || SS
|-
|[[Bo Jackson]] || Auburn || TB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1987 || [[Chris Spielman]] || Ohio State || LB
|-
|[[Roger Vick]] || Texas A&M || FB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1988 || [[Adam Bob]] || Texas A&M || LB
|-
|[[Bucky Richardson]] || Texas A&M || QB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 1989 || [[Troy Aikman]] || UCLA || QB
|-
|[[LaSalle Harper]] || Arkansas || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1990 || [[Carl Pickens]] || Tennessee || FS
|-
|[[Chuck Webb]] || Tennessee || TB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1991 || [[Craig Erickson]] || Miami (FL) || QB
|-
|[[Russell Maryland]] || Miami (FL) || DL
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1992 || [[Sean Jackson (American football)|Sean Jackson]] || Florida State || RB
|-
|[[Chris Crooms]] || Texas A&M || S
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1993 || [[Rick Mirer]] || Notre Dame || QB
|-
|[[Devon McDonald]] || Notre Dame || DE
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1994 || [[Lee Becton]] || Notre Dame || RB
|-
|[[Antonio Shorter]] || Texas A&M || L
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 1995 || [[Keyshawn Johnson]] || USC || WR
|-
|[[John Herpin]] || USC || CB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1996 || Herchell Troutman || Colorado || RB
|-
|Marcus Washington || Colorado || DB
|-
|rowspan = "3" | January 1, 1997 || [[Steve Sarkisian]] || BYU || QB
|-
|[[Shay Muirbrook]] || BYU || LB
|-
|[[Kevin Lockett]] || Kansas State || WR
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1998 || [[Cade McNown]] || UCLA || QB
|-
|[[Dat Nguyen]] || Texas A&M || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 1999 || [[Ricky Williams]] || Texas || RB
|-
|[[Aaron Babino]] || Texas || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 2000 || [[Cedric Cobbs]] || Arkansas || RB
|-
|[[D. J. Cooper (American football)|D. J. Cooper]] || Arkansas || DT
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 2001 || [[Jonathan Beasley]] || Kansas State || QB
|-
|Chris L. Johnson || Kansas State || DE
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 2002 || [[Quentin Griffin]] || Oklahoma || RB
|-
|[[Roy Williams (safety)|Roy Williams]] || Oklahoma || S
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 2003 || [[Roy Williams (wide receiver)|Roy Williams]] || Texas || WR
|-
|[[Cory Redding]] || Texas || DE
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 2004 || [[Eli Manning]] || Ole Miss || QB
|-
|[[Josh Cooper (defensive end)|Josh Cooper]] || Ole Miss || DE
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 2005 || [[Rick Clausen]] || Tennessee || QB
|-
|[[Justin Harrell]] || Tennessee || DT
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 2006 || [[Brodie Croyle]] || Alabama || QB
|-
|[[DeMeco Ryans]] || Alabama || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 2007 || [[Courtney Taylor (American football)|Courtney Taylor]] || Auburn || WR
|-
|[[Will Herring]] || Auburn || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 2008 || [[Tony Temple]] || Missouri || RB
|-
|[[William Moore (American football)|William Moore]] || Missouri || SS
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 2009 || [[Dexter McCluster]] || Ole Miss || WR
|-
|[[Marshay Green]] || Ole Miss || CB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 2010 || [[Dexter McCluster]] || Ole Miss || WR
|-
|Andre Sexton || Oklahoma State || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 7, 2011 || [[Terrence Toliver]] || LSU || WR
|-
|[[Tyrann Mathieu]]|| LSU || DB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 6, 2012 || [[Tyler Wilson (American football)|Tyler Wilson]] || Arkansas || QB
|-
|[[Jake Bequette]]|| Arkansas || DE
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 4, 2013 || [[Johnny Manziel]] || Texas A&M || QB
|-
|[[Dustin Harris]] || Texas A&M || DB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 3, 2014 || [[Henry Josey]] || Missouri || RB
|-
|[[Andrew Wilson (American football)|Andrew Wilson]] || Missouri || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 1, 2015 || [[Bryce Petty]] || Baylor || QB
|-
|[[Taylor Young]] || Baylor || LB 
|-
|rowspan=2 | December 31, 2015 || [[Jake Coker]] || Alabama || QB
|-
|[[Cyrus Jones]] || Alabama || DB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 2017 || [[Troy Fumagalli]] || Wisconsin || TE
|-
|[[T. J. Edwards]] || Wisconsin || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | December 29, 2017 || [[J. T. Barrett]] || Ohio State || QB
|-
|[[Damon Webb]] || Ohio State || DB
|-
|rowspan=2 | December 29, 2018 || [[Trevor Lawrence]] || Clemson || QB
|-
|[[Austin Bryant]] || Clemson || DE
|-
|rowspan=2 | December 28, 2019 || [[Journey Brown]] || Penn State || RB
|-
|[[Micah Parsons]] || Penn State || OLB
|-
|rowspan=2 | December 30, 2020 || [[Rhamondre Stevenson]] || Oklahoma || RB
|-
|[[Tre Norwood]] || Oklahoma || DB
|-
|rowspan=2 | December 31, 2021 || [[Brian Robinson Jr.]] || Alabama || RB
|-
|[[Will Anderson Jr.]] || Alabama || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 2, 2023 || [[Tyjae Spears]] || Tulane || RB
|-
| [[Dorian Williams (American football)|Dorian Williams]] || Tulane || LB
|-
|rowspan=2 | December 29, 2023 || [[Brady Cook]] || Missouri || QB
|-
| [[Johnny Walker Jr.]] || Missouri || DE
|-
|rowspan=2 | January 10, 2025 || [[Will Howard (American football) |Will Howard]] || Ohio State || QB
|-
| [[Jack Sawyer]] || Ohio State || DE
|}
{{col-end}}
Source:<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://publogix.com/e/23-COTTBOWL/ |magazine=Cotton Bowl Classic Official Program |title=The Classic Honor Roll |date=January 2023 |pages=123–124 |publisher=Cotton Bowl Athletic Association |accessdate=January 3, 2023 |via=publogix.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cottonbowl.com/news/2023/1/2/football-tyjae-spears-named-87th-classic-j-curtis-sanford-offensive-mvp.aspx |title=Tulane's Tyjae Spears Named 87th Classic J. Curtis Sanford Offensive MVP |website=cottonbowl.com |date=January 2, 2023 |accessdate=January 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cottonbowl.com/news/2023/1/2/football-tulanes-dorian-williams-named-87th-classic-felix-mcknight-defensive-mvp.aspx |title=Tulane's Dorian Williams Named 87th Classic Felix McKnight Defensive MVP |first=Emma |last=Trainor |website=cottonbowl.com |date=January 2, 2023 |accessdate=January 3, 2023}}</ref>

==Most appearances==
Updated through the January 2025 edition (89 games, 178 total appearances).

;Teams with multiple appearances
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{|class = "wikitable sortable"
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" rowspan=2|Rank
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" rowspan=2|Team
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" rowspan=2|Appearances
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" colspan=4|Record
|-
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |W
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |L
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |T
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |Pct.
|-
| 1  || [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas]] || 23 || {{WinLossPct|11|11|1}}
|-
| 2  || [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M]] || 13 || {{WinLossPct|5|8|0}}
|-
| 3  || [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas]] || 12 || {{WinLossPct|4|7|1}}
|-
| 4 || [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama]] || 9 || {{WinLossPct|5|4|0}}
|-
| 5 || [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] || 8 || {{WinLossPct|5|3|0}}
|-
| T6 || [[Tennessee Volunteers football|Tennessee]] || 6 || {{WinLossPct|3|3|0}}
|-
| T6 || [[TCU Horned Frogs football|TCU]] || 6 || {{WinLossPct|2|3|1}}
|-
| T8 || [[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss]] || 5 || {{WinLossPct|4|1|0}}
|-
| T8 || [[LSU Tigers football|LSU]] || 5 || {{WinLossPct|3|1|1}}
|-
| T10 || [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]] || 4 || {{WinLossPct|3|0|1}}
|-
| T10 || [[Rice Owls football|Rice]] || 4 || {{WinLossPct|3|1|0}}
|-
| T10 || [[Missouri Tigers football|Missouri]] || 4 || {{WinLossPct|3|1|0}}
|-
| T10 || [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]] || 4 || {{WinLossPct|3|1|0}}
|-
| T10 || [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU]] || 4 || {{WinLossPct|2|1|1}}
|-
| T10 || [[Houston Cougars football|Houston]] || 4 || {{WinLossPct|2|2|0}}
|-
| T10 || [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football|Nebraska]] || 4 || {{WinLossPct|1|3|0}}
|-
| T10 || [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma State]] || 4 || {{WinLossPct|1|3|0}}
|-
| T10 || [[Texas Tech Red Raiders football|Texas Tech]] || 4 ||  {{WinLossPct|0|4|0}}
|}
{{col-break}}
{|class = "wikitable sortable"
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" rowspan=2|Rank
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" rowspan=2|Team
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" rowspan=2|Appearances
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" colspan=4|Record
|-
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |W
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |L
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |T
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |Pct.
|-
| T19 || [[Georgia Bulldogs football|Georgia]] || 3 || {{WinLossPct|2|1|0}}
|-
| T19 || [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma]] || 3 || {{WinLossPct|2|1|0}}
|-
| T19 || [[USC Trojans football|USC]] || 3 || {{WinLossPct|1|2|0}}
|-
| T19 || [[Kansas State Wildcats football|Kansas State]] || 3 || {{WinLossPct|1|2|0}}
|-
| T19 || [[Baylor Bears football|Baylor]] || 3 || {{WinLossPct|0|3|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Clemson Tigers football|Clemson]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|2|0|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|2|0|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|1|1|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Boston College Eagles football|Boston College]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|1|1|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|1|1|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football|Georgia Tech]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|1|1|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Michigan State Spartans football|Michigan State]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|1|1|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Navy Midshipmen football|Navy]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|1|1|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Syracuse Orangemen football|Syracuse]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|1|1|0}}
|-
| T24 || [[Oregon Ducks football|Oregon]] || 2 || {{WinLossPct|0|2|0}}
|}
{{col-end}}

;Teams with a single appearance
Won (8): [[BYU Cougars football|BYU]], [[Duke Blue Devils football|Duke]], [[Florida State Seminoles football|Florida State]], [[Kentucky Wildcats football|Kentucky]], [[Miami Hurricanes football|Miami (FL)]], [[Saint Mary's Gaels football|Saint Mary's (CA)]], [[Tulane Green Wave football|Tulane]], [[Wisconsin Badgers football|Wisconsin]]
<br>
Lost (10): [[Cincinnati Bearcats football|Cincinnati]], [[Florida Gators football|Florida]], [[Fordham Rams football|Fordham]], [[Marquette Golden Avalanche football|Marquette]], [[Maryland Terrapins football|Maryland]], [[Memphis Tigers football|Memphis]], [[Mississippi State Bulldogs football|Mississippi State]], [[North Carolina Tarheels football|North Carolina]], [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|Pittsburgh]], [[Western Michigan Broncos football|Western Michigan]]
<br>
Tied (2): [[Air Force Falcons football|Air Force]], [[Randolph Field Ramblers football|Randolph Field]]

* Oklahoma State's record includes one appearance when the school was known as Oklahoma A&M.

{{asof|2023}}:
* Each of the teams who were members of the Southwest Conference (SWC) sometime during 1936–1995 have appeared in at least one Cotton Bowl.
* [[South Carolina Gamecocks football|South Carolina]] and [[Vanderbilt Commodores football|Vanderbilt]] are the only members of the SEC that have not played in the Cotton Bowl.
* [[Iowa State Cyclones football|Iowa State]], [[Kansas Jayhawks football|Kansas]] and [[West Virginia Mountaineers football|West Virginia]] are the only members of the Big 8 or Big 12 that have not played in the Cotton Bowl. In addition, former Big 12 members Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas A&M have all played in multiple Cotton Bowls.
* [[Michigan State Spartans football|Michigan State]], [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]], [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]] (also played in the Cotton Bowl prior to being in the Big Ten), and [[Wisconsin Badgers football|Wisconsin]] are the only Big Ten teams to have participated in the Cotton Bowl ([[Maryland Terrapins football|Maryland]] and [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football|Nebraska]] participated prior to joining the conference).  Prior to 2014, only one Big Ten team ([[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]] - 1987) had appeared in the Cotton Bowl.
* [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M]], [[Texas Tech Red Raiders football|Texas Tech]] and [[Missouri Tigers football|Missouri]]  played in the Cotton Bowl as a member of three different conferences.  A&M played as the Southwest Conference, the Big 12, and the SEC, Tech played as part of the [[Border Conference]], SWC and Big 12, and Missouri played as part of the Big 8, Big 12 and SEC.

==Appearances by conference==
Updated through the January 2025 edition (89 games, 178 total appearances).

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" rowspan=2|Conference
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" colspan=5|Record
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" colspan=3|Appearances by year
|-
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |Games
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |W
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |L
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |T
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" |Win pct.
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" class=unsortable|Won
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" class=unsortable|Lost
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};" class=unsortable|Tied
<!--
--- DO NOT CONCATENATE YEARS in the below table: the Cotton Bowl has games played in January & December, which is
--- confusing enuogh by itself without trying to decipher ranges that span an indeterminate number of games.
-->
|-
| bgcolor=lightgrey|''[[Southwest Conference|SWC]]'' || 57 ||{{WinLossPct|24|29|4}}
| <!--wins-->1937, 1938, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988
| <!--lost-->1942, 1945, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1966{{sup|D}}, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
| <!--tied-->1944, 1947, 1948, 1959
|-
| [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] || 43 || {{WinLossPct|25|17|1}}
| <!--wins-->1942, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1963, 1966, 1966{{sup|D}}, 1981, 1984, 1990, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015{{sup|D}}, 2021, 2023{{sup|D}}
| <!--lost-->1943, 1953, 1954, 1962, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1986, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2020{{sup|D}}, 2025
| <!--tied-->1947
|-
| [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|Independents]] || 25 || {{WinLossPct|13|9|3}}
| <!--wins-->1939, 1958, 1960, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
| <!--lost-->1937, 1940, 1941, 1957, 1964, 1970, 1983, 1988, 2018{{sup|D}}
| <!--tied-->1944, 1948, 1959
|-
| [[Big 12 Conference football|Big 12]] || 20 || {{WinLossPct|6|14|0}}
| <!--wins-->1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2020{{sup|D}}
| <!--lost-->1997, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]] || 8 || {{WinLossPct|6|2|0}}
| <!--wins-->1987, 2015, 2017, 2017{{sup|D}}, 2019{{sup|D}}, 2025
| <!--lost-->2015{{sup|D}}, 2023{{sup|D}}
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12]] || 6 || {{WinLossPct|3|3|0}}
| <!--wins-->1989, 1995, 1998
| <!--lost-->1996, 2017{{sup|D}}, 2023
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| bgcolor=lightgrey|''[[Big 8 conference|Big Eight]]'' || 5 || {{WinLossPct|2|3|0}}
| <!--wins-->1974, 1996
| <!--lost-->1946, 1965, 1980
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| [[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] || 3 || {{WinLossPct|2|1|0}}
| <!--wins-->1961, 2018{{sup|D}}
| <!--lost-->1977
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| [[American Athletic Conference|The American]] || 3 || {{WinLossPct|1|2|0}}
| <!--wins-->2023
| <!--lost-->2019{{sup|D}}, 2021
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| bgcolor=lightgrey|''[[Southern Conference|SoCon]]'' || 2 || {{WinLossPct|1|1|0}}
| <!--wins-->1940
| <!--lost-->1950
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| bgcolor=lightgrey|''[[Missouri Valley Conference|MVC]]'' || 1 || {{WinLossPct|1|0|0}}
| <!--wins-->1945
| <!--lost-->{{nbsp}}
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| bgcolor=lightgrey|''[[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]]'' || 1 || {{WinLossPct|1|0|0}}
| <!--wins-->1997
| <!--lost-->{{nbsp}}
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| bgcolor=lightgrey|''[[Border Conference|Border]]'' || 1 || {{WinLossPct|0|1|0}}
| <!--wins-->{{nbsp}}
| <!--lost-->1939
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| [[Mid-American Conference|MAC]] || 1 || {{WinLossPct|0|1|0}}
| <!--wins-->{{nbsp}}
| <!--lost-->2017
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| bgcolor=lightgrey|''[[Pacific Coast Conference|PCC]]'' || 1 || {{WinLossPct|0|1|0}}
| <!--wins-->{{nbsp}}
| <!--lost-->1949
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|-
| bgcolor=lightgrey|''[[Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference|RMAC]]'' || 1 || {{WinLossPct|0|1|0}}
| <!--wins-->{{nbsp}}
| <!--lost-->1938
| <!--tied-->bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}}
|}

* Games marked with an superscript D ({{sup|D}}) were played in December.
* Records reflect conference affiliations at the time each game was played.
* Conferences that are defunct or no longer active in FBS are marked in ''italics''.
* The Big Eight's record includes one game when the conference was known as the Big Six.
* The Pac-12's record includes four games when the conference was known as the Pac-10. It does not include the one appearance made by Oregon as a member of the [[Pacific Coast Conference]] (PCC). Although the Pac-12 considers the PCC to be part of its own history, the two leagues were established under separate charters.

==Game records==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Team
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Performance, Team vs. Opponent
! style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Year
|-
|Most points (one team) || 55, shared by:<br>USC vs. Texas Tech<br>Oklahoma vs. Florida || align=right|<br>1995<br>2020
|-
|Most points (both teams) || 92, Penn State (53) vs. Memphis (39) || align=right|2019
|-
|Fewest points allowed || 0, several teams—most recent:<br>Alabama vs. Michigan State || <br>Dec. 2015
|-
|Largest margin of victory || 43, Miami, FL (46) vs. Texas (3) || align=right|1991
|-
|First downs || 32, Tennessee vs. Texas A&M  || align=right|2005
|-
|Rushing yards || 435, Oklahoma vs. Florida || align=right|2020
|-
|Passing yards || 603, Baylor vs. Michigan State  || Jan. 2015
|-
|Total yards  || 684, Oklahoma vs. Florida || align=right|2020
|-
!style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Individual
!style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Performance, Player, Team vs. Opponent
!style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Year
|-
|Total offense || 516, [[Johnny Manziel]], Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma (229 Rush, 287 Pass) || align=right|2013
|-
|Rushing yards || 281, [[Tony Temple]], Missouri vs. Arkansas (24 att., 4 TD) || align=right|2008
|-
|Rushing TDs || 4 shared by:<br/>[[Tony Temple]], Missouri vs. Arkansas<br/>Tyjae Spears, Tulane vs. USC || align=right|<br>2008<br>Jan. 2023
|-
|Passing yards || 550, [[Bryce Petty]], Baylor vs. Michigan State (36–51–1, 3 TD) || Jan. 2015
|-
|Passing TDs || 5, [[Caleb Williams]], USC vs. Tulane || Jan. 2023
|-
|Receptions  || 11, [[Rashaun Woods]], Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss (223 yds, 1 TD) || align=right|2004
|-
|Receiving yards  || 223, [[Rashaun Woods]], Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss (11 rec., 1 TD)  || align=right|2004
|-
|Receiving TDs || 3, [[Terrence Toliver]], LSU vs. Texas A&M  || align=right|2011
|-
|Field goals || 6, [[Riley Patterson]], Memphis vs. Penn State || align=right|2019
|-
|Tackles || 23, [[Keith Flowers]], TCU vs. Kentucky  || align=right|1952
|-
|Sacks || 6, Shay Muirbrook, BYU vs. Kansas State (32 yards) || align=right|1997
|-
|Interceptions || 3, Jerry Cook, Texas vs. Ole Miss (16 yards) || align=right|1962
|-
!style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Long Plays
!style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Performance, Player, Team vs. Opponent
!style="background:#003B7B; color:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFF33|2px}};"|Year
|-
|-
|Touchdown run || 95, [[Dicky Moegle]], Rice vs. Alabama || align=right|1954
|-
|Touchdown pass || 87, <br/>[[Gerhard Schwedes]] to [[Ernie Davis]], Syracuse vs. Texas <br/>[[Michael Pratt (American football)|Michael Pratt]] to Jha'Quan Jackson, Tulane vs. USC<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay/_/gameId/401442013|title=Tulane vs. USC - College Football Play-By-Play - January 2, 2023|website=ESPN|accessdate=March 11, 2023}}</ref> || align=right|<br>1960<br/>Jan. 2023
|-
|Kickoff return || 98, Earl Allen, Houston vs. Boston College (TD) || align=right|1985
|-
|Punt return || 72, [[Jimmy Nelson (American football)|Jimmy Nelson]], Alabama vs. Texas A&M (TD) || align=right|1942
|-
|Interception return || 95, Marcus Washington, Colorado vs. Oregon (TD) || align=right|1996
|-
|Fumble return || 83, [[Jack Sawyer]], Ohio State vs. Texas (TD)  || align="right" |2025
|-
|Punt || 84, [[Kyle Rote]], SMU vs. Oregon || align=right|1949
|-
|Field goal  || 51, Riley Patterson, Memphis vs. Penn State  || align=right|2019
|}
''Note: for ties, the most recent year is shown.''

==Broadcasting==
The first televised edition of the Cotton Bowl Classic was in 1953 by [[NBC Sports|NBC]]. NBC provided coverage of the game from 1952 to 1957. In 1958, [[CBS Sports|CBS]] began a streak of broadcasts of the event through 1992. NBC televised the game from 1993 to 1995. The Cotton Bowl returned to CBS in 1996 and remained for three years. From 1999 to 2014, the Cotton Bowl Classic was televised by [[Fox Sports|Fox]]. As part of the [[College Football Playoff]] rotation, [[ESPN]] took over rights to the game beginning in 2015.<ref name=ESPN>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/8660304/espn-televise-college-football-playoff-12-year-deal|title=ESPN to televise college playoff|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=April 24, 2013|access-date=April 26, 2013}}</ref>

In 2013, [[Fox Deportes]] televised the game nationally for the first time in Spanish.<ref>{{cite web|title=COLLEGE FOOTBALL ON FOX DEPORTES MAKES U.S. LATINO MEDIA HISTORY|url=http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom/binary/2012/08/27/FOX_Deportes_College_Football_20121346096985802.pdf|publisher=Fox Sports Media Group|access-date=December 24, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102133842/http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom/binary/2012/08/27/FOX_Deportes_College_Football_20121346096985802.pdf|archive-date=November 2, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The game returned to Fox Deportes in 2014. In 2015, [[ESPN Deportes]] becomes the new Spanish-language television home of the game.

The game is also broadcast nationally on radio by [[ESPN Radio]] and [[ESPN Deportes Radio]]. ESPN Radio succeeded former longtime Cotton Bowl carrier [[Westwood One (1976–2011)|Westwood One]] in 2013.<ref name="Cotton ESPN Radio PR">{{cite web|title=ESPN Audio to present multi-platform coverage of the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic|url=http://www.attcottonbowl.com/news/news-releases/2012/10/espn-audio-to-present-multiplatform-coverage-att-cotton-bowl-classic/|publisher=Cotton Bowl Classic|access-date=December 24, 2012|archive-date=November 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122082131/http://www.attcottonbowl.com/news/news-releases/2012/10/espn-audio-to-present-multiplatform-coverage-att-cotton-bowl-classic/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 2013 marked the first Spanish radio broadcast of the game.

==See also==
{{Portal|College football}}
*[[List of college bowl games]]
*[[Comerica Bank New Year's Parade]], also known as the "Cotton Bowl Parade"

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.attcottonbowl.com}}

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