That pair, and others like it, became part of notable trend in the 2024-25 bowl season: 21 of the 30 non-Playoff bowls that aired on an ESPN network through Jan. 2 saw year-over-year viewership increases, the majority of them by 20 percent or more.

The College Football Playoff field has been narrowed to four teams, with (6) Penn State, (7) Notre Dame, (5) Texas, and (8) Ohio State remaining in the national title hunt. The Nittany Lions defeated (3) Boise State in the first quarterfinal game on New Year's Eve to set up a date with the Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl on Thursday.

Texas and Ohio State arrived for the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Cotton Bowl before the snow expected to hit the North Texas area.

The Cotton Bowl semifinal is set to be played as scheduled in North Texas on Friday, Jan. 10 despite severe inclement weather expected in the region. Weather forecasts project that the area could receive more than 4 inches of snow only days before the game.

Here's an update on the College Football Playoff game set to be played between Texas and Ohio State with winter weather in the forecast.