Dallas Stars vs. Nashville Predators at noon CT.
Granted, the Cotton Bowl Game is at AT&T Stadium. So stadium availability isn't the issue. But I'm not sure that the Cotton Bowl Game and the Dallas community would want these two marquee events happening simultaneously.
The NHL has the ice down to a science. The biggest issue is rain.
As I recall, the temperature was in the 60s, but the main asset was not having the sun glaring on the ice. The 2019 Winter Classic at ND, which I attended, had ideal weather for the event -- cloudy, dry, and in the 30s. That was similar to the weather in Arlington for the Cotton Bowl three days earlier. It's very unlikely to be in the 70s in Dallas on January 1, but the main things to avoid are the extremes of bright sunshine and rain.
If ND loses to Georgia and wins the rest of its games but gets left out, chances are they'd end up in the OB since (a) they'd likely be ranked higher than #2 SEC or anyone in the B1G, (b) we're five years into the 12-year deal and the OB hasn't used either of ND's two slots, and (c) the ACC isn't supposed to be very good this year outside of Clemson, and the OB will be looking for star power in its matchup.
That is, assuming that each of those conferences are represented in the 4-team CFP (basically a lock for SEC, but not so much for B1G). Because if their #1 team goes to the CFP, their #2 team will go to the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl, respectively.
Based on that, I'm thinking a 10-2 ND team will probably get sent to the Orange Bowl.
The only other non-playoff NY6 option is for one spot in the Cotton Bowl. The other spot in that game will be taken up by a group of five team.
The Sugar Bowl in 1995 was actually played on 12/31/95.
Between the drinks during the game inside the stadium, then spending the remainder of NYE in New Orleans, my memories are indeed hazy.
Sugar 12/31/95
Orange 12/31/96
Fiesta 12/31/97
Also, the Orange Bowl was moved a few days back three years ago when UM played FSU.
They realized that playing a major bowl at 1 est on January 1 doesn’t bring in the eyeballs.
...which was a pretty sweet lead-in to New Year's partying in New Orleans for me as an ND sophomore.
...before and after the game? I was also a soph and drove down there with a group of ND sophs from the Chicago area. We stayed in the French quarter at the LeRichelieu Hotel and had 13 guys staying in our room 1 night. Robin Weber, beignets and rest was history - a great trip.
In the 1960s, NBC aired the Sugar Bowl right after the Rose Parade and as the lead-in to the Rose Bowl. From 1965-1969, it was part of a tripleheader, once NBC got the Orange Bowl and moved it to nighttime. In 1970, ABC got the Sugar Bowl rights and kept the game in its early afternoon slot -- which was bad timing, since it went head-to-head against two ND-Texas showdowns in the Cotton Bowl. ABC moved the Sugar Bowl to New Year's Eve in 1972, making it the first Sunday night bowl game that year (PSU-Oklahoma). Because the 1973 game was for the national championship, ABC added Howard Cosell to the booth with Chris Schenckel and Bud Wilkinson (fitting, since New Year's Eve was on Monday night that year). But the next two Sugar Bowls were lesser matchups, and by 1977 ABC had moved it back to New Year's Day. it bounced around time slots -- early afternoon, prime time, late afternoon, and back to prime time once ABC got the Rose Bowl rights. It wasn't until the College Football Playoff that the Sugar Bowl was suddenly viewed as having a sacrosanct hold on the prime time slot on New Year's Day.