College football playoff should go through Arlington, Texas

“We look forward to learning more about the opportunities that will be created by today's announcement. With partners like AT&T (the Cotton Bowl's primary sponsor) and Cowboys Stadium, we believe we have a great story to tell.”

The Cotton Bowl, for 60 years one of college football's grandest games, fell to second-tier status in 1996, with the demise of the Southwest Conference.

But the Cotton Bowl has retained its excellent organization and reputation for supreme hospitality, and with the addition of two premium bowl slots to join the Rose, Fiesta, Orange and Sugar, the Cotton Bowl should be in line to return to the main table.

Heck, the Cotton Bowl even could be in line to land all or part of the new agreement between the Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference, to match their champions in a bowl game starting with the 2014 season.

The new four-team playoff means the Big 12/SEC bowl rarely, if ever, will truly match the champs from each.

But outgoing Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas said the Big 12/SEC answer to the Rose Bowl could sign on to an existing bowl, or even be rotated among bowls.

It wouldn't be crazy to think that the Cotton and the Sugar would rotate as the site for the so-called Champions Bowl.

The addition of two bowls to elite status, what now are known as BCS bowls, was made to give more access, so that deserving teams (Boise State in 2011, California in 2004, Kansas State in 1998 were notable examples) would not be left out.

So Arlington, in the form of a Jones/Cotton Bowl partnership, will be hot on the trail of a semifinal and/or the title game.

“My guess is they'll go for both,” Castiglione said. “One of the semifinal games for sure, and also make a play to try to host the championship game. That's not inside information, that's just the forward thinking they have.”

And that would be a very good thing for the Big 12 and the two Oklahoma schools that in many ways consider Greater Dallas an extension of their state.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@opubco.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel.