With AT&T's decision to no longer serve as the naming-rights sponsor for the Cotton Bowl, Goodyear is "the current front-runner" to take on that role, according to sources cited by Chuck Carlton of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. An agreement with Goodyear "could continue a Cotton Bowl trend of well-known established companies." AT&T's decision "ends a title sponsor relationship" dating back to '96, when
Southwestern Bell "partnered with the Cotton Bowl before changing its
name to AT&T." Cotton Bowl and AT&T officials said that the
company "will still be involved with the game in a significant
sponsorship role" (DALLASNEWS.com, 10/15). In Ft. Worth, Jimmy Burch reported officials "already are in discussion
with a replacement title sponsor and expect to have that organization’s
name on the contest well before this season’s game is played Jan. 1."
But bowl officials said that "no announcement is imminent" (STAR-TELEGRAM.com, 10/15). ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy noted AT&T had been the Cotton Bowl's naming rights sponsor since '07. A source said that one reason behind AT&T's decision is "because the game is played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington ... and it didn't make sense to continue to pay for the bowl's naming rights when it already owns the stadium naming rights." The Cotton Bowl is the "fourth of the New Year's Six bowls that have changed their naming rights sponsors in the past year along with the Capital One Orange Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl." The Rose Bowl also changed its "presenting sponsor" to Northwestern Mutual. Of the six major bowls that are in the semifinal rotation for the College Football Playoff, "only the Allstate Sugar Bowl has remained the same since last season." Sources said that the Cotton and Fiesta bowls are "expected to have new naming rights sponsors before this year's games" (ESPN.com, 10/15).
