The Cotton Bowl Classic is moving to Saturdays beginning with the 2017 season.
The College Football Playoff announced Friday the Classic will be played on Saturdays for three consecutive years starting on Dec. 30, 2017. Later games will be played on Dec. 29, 2018, and Dec. 28, 2019 with the 2018 contest being a semifinal matchup in the College Football Playoff.
"This is wonderful news for our game," said Jay McAuley, Chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. "Saturdays are tradition. They are tailor-made for college football. It's a day when families and friends come together to watch and talk college football. We couldn't have asked for a better time slot to showcase the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and Texas hospitality to fans that choose to spend part of their holiday weekend with us at AT&T Stadium in Arlington."
Rick Baker, president and CEO of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, added moving the game to Saturday afternoon or evening would allow more people time to travel and attend the game in person.
This year's Cotton Bowl will be played at noon at Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. The move to Saturdays will start in December 2017.
Game times will be announced at a later date.
