The Cotton Bowl Classic is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium in Dallas before moving to Cowboys Stadium in nearby Arlington in 2010. Since 2014, the game has been sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and officially known as the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic; it was previously sponsored by Mobil (1989–1995) and Southwestern Bell Corporation/SBC Communications/AT&T (1997–2014).
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH." The UH football program is a member of the Big 12 Conference. Since the 2014 season, the Cougars have played their home games on campus at TDECU Stadium, which was built on the site formerly occupied by Robertson Stadium, where they played home games from 1941 to 1950 and from 1994 to 2012. Over the history of the program, the Cougars have won 11 conference championships and have had several players elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, including a Heisman Trophy winner.
The 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first season of Division I-A college football. Division I-A was created in January 1978 when Division I was subdivided into Division I-A and I-AA for football only. It was anticipated that 65 Division I football schools would transition to Division I-AA. Instead, just eight programs voluntarily opted for Division I-AA for the 1978 season, where they joined 35 schools that had reclassified from Division II. One school, UNLV, moved from Division II to I-A, bringing the total number of I-A institutions to 138 for the 1978 season.
The 1979 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Razorbacks compiled a 10–2 record, finished in a tie with Houston for the SWC championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 284 to 132. The Razorbacks' only regular season loss was to Houston by a 13–10 score. The team advanced to the 1980 Sugar Bowl, losing to undefeated national champion Alabama by a 24–9 score. Arkansas was ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll and No. 9 in the final UPI Coaches Poll.
The 1963 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In their seventh year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 11–0, with a mark of 7–0 in conference play, and finished as SWC champion. Texas concluded their season with a victory over Navy in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 1970 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. The Longhorns shared the national championship with Nebraska, their third national championship overall. Texas had previously won consensus national titles in 1963 and 1969.
The 1981 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Ron Meyer in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Mustangs compiled an overall record 10–1 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SWC title.
The 1961 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled a 10–1 record and tied with Arkansas for the SWC championship. The Longhorns defeated Arkansas (33–7) and Oklahoma (28–7), and were ranked No. 1 until they lost, 6–0, to unranked TCU on November 18. At the end of the regular season, the Longhorns were ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll and No. 4 in the final UPI poll. They concluded their season with a victory over No. 5 Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 1962 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1962 NCAA University Division football season. In their sixth year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 9–1–1, with a mark of 6–0–1 in conference play, and finished as SWC champion. Texas concluded their season with a loss against LSU in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 1968 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas at Austin as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. In their 12th year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 9–1–1, with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, and finished as SWC co-champion. Texas concluded their season with a victory over Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 1973 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. It was the 28th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by 12th-year head coach Bill Yeoman who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. The team played its home games in the Astrodome, a 50,000-person capacity stadium off-campus in Houston at the Astrodomain. Houston competed as a member of the NCAA in the University Division, independent of any athletic conference. It was their fourteenth year of doing so. The Cougars had been admitted to the Southwest Conference two years prior, but were ineligible for conference play until the 1976 season. After completion of the regular season, the Cougars were invited to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl where they defeated the Tulane Green Wave.
The 1983 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Longhorns finished the regular season with an 11–0 record and lost to Georgia in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 1973 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. The Longhorns finished the regular season with an 8–2 record and lost to Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 1967 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. In their eleventh year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 6–4, with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, and finished tied for third in the SWC.
The 1978 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 17th-year head coach Bill Yeoman and played their home games at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The team competed as members of the Southwest Conference, winning the conference with a 7–1 conference record. This was Houston's first outright conference title and second overall, in only their third year in the league. They were invited to the 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic, played on New Year's Day, where they were defeated by Notre Dame. Houston was ranked 10th in the final AP Poll of the season and 11th in the Coaches' Poll.
The 1980 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 19th-year head coach Bill Yeoman and played their home games at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The team competed as members of the Southwest Conference, finishing tied for second. Coming off of a Cotton Bowl-winning 1979 season, the Cougars started the year ranked in the top 10, but ended with a disappointing five regular season losses. Houston was invited to the 1980 Garden State Bowl, where they defeated Navy, 35–0.
The 1981 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 20th-year head coach Bill Yeoman and played their home games at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The team competed as members of the Southwest Conference, finishing in third. Houston was invited to the 1981 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, where they lost to Oklahoma, 40–14.
The 1983 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 22nd-year head coach Bill Yeoman and played their home games at the Houston Astrodome in Houston. The team competed as members of the Southwest Conference, finishing in seventh. Houston finished the season with a record of 4–7, their first losing season since 1975.
The 1974 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. The team was coached by 13th-year head coach Bill Yeoman, compiled an 8–3–1 record, and outscored their opponents by a total of 280 to 185.
The 1971 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. The Cougars, coached by Bill Yeoman in his tenth season, compiled a 9–3 record, and outscored their opponents by a total of 339 to 199. Houston finished ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll after a loss to Colorado in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.
