When the #6 Oklahoma Sooners meet the #7 Florida Gators in The Goodyear Cotton Bowl on December 30, they will have been in a "bubble" for a few days.
The Cotton Bowl Athletic Association decided to place both teams, plus support staff at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas leading up to the event. They'll be isolated, similar to how the NBA and NHL held their playoffs, and the MLB held the NLCS and World Series in Arlington.
"There's no entry (to the hotel) from anybody else other than if you have the credentials," says Bry Patton, the Chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and Cotton Bowl Foundation. "We'll have security at every exit. We don't want anybody coming and going."
And when the game kicks on December 30, they'll glean the benefit of prior events held at AT&T Stadium during the pandemic.
"They have been through this drill for quite a while this year," Patton says. "We're very fortunate to be able to dovetail on what they've already established."
Capacity will be limited to about 25%. Seats will be in pods, and everyone will have to wear a mask unless eating or drinking.
And not only will the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association host the Cotton Bowl game, they'll also play an intregal role in the move of the Januay 1 Rose Bowl game from Pasadena to Arlington.
"The Cotton Bowl staff has basically been in charge of the college games played at AT&T Stadium," says Patton. "We are going to be very intregal, especially on the operations, the media, the hospitality...it's going to pretty intense."
The Rose Bowl game will be a National Semifinal, pitting #1 Alabama against #4 Notre Dame.
