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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Earns Second Straight Cotton Bowl Berth
12/6/2009 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss will be returning to Texas for the holidays, as the Rebels accepted a second consecutive invitation to the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Sunday. Ole Miss is matched up with Oklahoma State, Jan. 2, 2010 at 1 p.m. CT in a FOX televised game.
It will mark the 74th Cotton Bowl and first to be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
"Once again, Ole Miss fans will enjoy the immeasurable hospitality of the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic," said Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone. "On behalf of Ole Miss athletics and our loyal fans, I would like to thank the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Finn Ewing; the President of the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, Rick Baker; and the entire Selection Committee for inviting Ole Miss to its inaugural game at Cowboys Stadium."This 2009 football team has worked very hard and earned its way to compete against a great Oklahoma State team, while enjoying the renown hospitality of the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. It will be exciting."
"What a tremendous way for us to open a new era at our new home," said Kathy Saunders, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association Chairman. "We couldn't be more thrilled with our matchup, and needless to say, with these two great teams and a world-class facility, January 2 will be a Classic to remember."
Houston Nutt becomes just the second Ole Miss head coach to guide the Rebels to a bowl in each of his first two seasons at the helm. Nutt is leading the Rebels to consecutive January bowls for the first time since 1970-71.
Rising as high as No. 4 in the national rankings this year, Ole Miss (8-4, 4-4 SEC) knocked off No. 8 LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas en route to a second straight eight-win season for the first time since 1989-90.
"I want to thank Rick Baker, Finn Ewing and the committee for making it possible to bring the Ole Miss Rebels back to Texas to participate in another AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic," said Nutt. "I am proud of our team and our fans. They have a great history of following Ole Miss teams to bowl games. We were excited to play the last Classic in Cotton Bowl Stadium and now we are equally excited about playing the first Cotton Bowl Classic in the new Cowboys Stadium."
Ole Miss returns to the Classic after last year's 47-34 victory over Texas Tech in the final AT&T Cotton Bowl in Cotton Bowl Stadium. The 2010 Classic marks the first back-to-back appearance by a team since the Texas Longhorns appeared in the 1999 and 2000 Classics.
"Normally we shy away from inviting the same team two years in a row," said Cotton Bowl president Rick Baker. "We take great pride in bringing in different teams and trying to create different experiences. But this is an unusual situation. The special circumstances of playing in the new stadium will give the players and coaches a whole different experience. It will be almost like a new bowl game."
Ole Miss is continuing a rich bowl tradition with its 33rd all-time appearance, which is tied for 17th on the NCAA Division I-A's list of all-time bowl berths. The Rebels are 20-12 in bowl games, with the 20 wins tied for the 12th most in college football.
Ole Miss is 7-1 in its last eight bowl games dating back to a 13-0 win over Air Force in the 1992 Liberty Bowl. The Rebels' only loss during that span came during the 2000 Music City Bowl, falling 49-38 to West Virginia.
The only other all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Oklahoma State occurred in the 2004 Cotton Bowl, in which the Rebels prevailed 31-28. A 1981 OSU graduate and former Cowboys assistant coach, Nutt will be facing his alma mater for the first time as a head coach.
Nutt served as OSU's wide receivers coach while current head coach Mike Gundy was the Cowboys' starting quarterback.
Ranked 20th in the BCS, Oklahoma State (9-3, 6-2 Big 12) finished second in the Big 12 South standings this season, marking its best conference finish in the 14-year history of the league with a school-record six conference wins.
The Rebels are 7-2 in bowl games against the Big 12 Conference and have won six straight. This matchup will be Ole Miss' sixth bowl game against a Big 12 team in its last seven bowl appearances and fourth straight.