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.

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 most important action of a historic college football bowl schedule kicks off today on New Year’s Day with the quarterfinal round of the College Football Pla