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NO. 5 OHIO STATE AND NO. 8 USC SET TO CLASH IN CLASSIC
Thank you College Football Playoff Selection Committee. Fifth-ranked Ohio State University and eighth-ranked University of Southern California were selected by the committee to come to North Texas to play in the 82nd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in a battle of conference champions.
The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will play host to two conference champions for the first time since 1987 when Ohio State defeated Texas A&M, the Southwest Conference Champion, 28-12. This is Ohio State’s second appearance in the Classic after the 1987 Cotton Bowl.
The Buckeyes (11-2, 8-1 in the Big Ten) knocked off undefeated Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday night.
Southern Cal (11-2, 8-1 in the Pac-12), will also be making their second appearance in the Cotton Bowl. Keyshawn Johnson led the Trojans to a 55-14 victory over Texas Tech in the 1995 Cotton Bowl. The Trojans are coming off a 31-28 victory over Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship.
“We are ecstatic to have the opportunity to host two of college football’s most iconic programs in what is one of the best bowl matchups of the season,” Jay McAuley, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Chairman said. “We are going to put on a show worthy of these two conference champions.”
The Trojans hold a 13-9-1 advantage in the all-time series against Ohio State with the first matchup coming in 1937, a 13-12 USC victory. Southern Cal also took the most recent matchup, a 18-15 win at the beginning of the 2009 season.
USC has won the last seven meetings dating back to the 1975 Rose Bowl. The last time USC and Ohio State met in the postseason was at the 1985 Rose Bowl with USC winning 20-17.
The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic has enjoyed a matchup of Top-Eight teams in three of the four years since becoming a member of the New Year’s Six in the College Football Playoff.
The Classic will be televised on ESPN at 7:30 CT on Friday, Dec. 29th. For ticket information, visit goodyearcottonbowl.com.
