Coaches have the final say

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, left, and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel shake hands behind the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Trophy at the conclusion of Thursday's news conference.

     The final media event of the 78th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic is the traditional dual coaches' press conference held the day before the game. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel came together Thursday morning at the bowl's official media hotel to give their final words of insight before kickoff.
     Pinkel had a clever answer when asked for the umpteenth time to compare the SEC and the Big 12. For the second year in a row, the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic is a matchup of former Big 12 foes. Last year's game featured Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
     "That's probably the first time ever anybody has asked me that question," Pinkel said, which drew a chuckle from the crowd of reporters. "Kidding aside, we played in the Big 12 and it is a great league. The SEC is a great league."
    Gundy had an interesting revelation about attending the most recent football game played at AT&T Stadium.
     "I think it was special for our team and our coaches and families to be able to go to the Dallas Cowboys game the other day when they played the Eagles. It was actually the first NFL game that I had ever been to, which I know surprised people. But we're working that time of the season. It's hard to get away on Sunday and go to an NFL game."

    

        The 78th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic is Friday, Jan. 3 on FOX. Airtime is set for 6:30 p.m. CST with kickoff scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Making their fourth appearances as members of FOX’s broadcast crew, Gus Johnson and Charles Davis will describe all the action and will be joined by Kristina Pink reporting from the sideline. FOX is broadcasting the Classic for the 16^thconsecutive year.
     ESPN Radio returns as the Classic’s national radio partner for a second-straight year. Brad Sham, the “Voice of the Dallas Cowboys,” will partner with Ed Cunningham offering color commentary and Ian Fitzsimmons adding analysis from the sideline to provide the call of the 78th Classic to hundreds of affiliate stations around the country as well as subscribers of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio in the United States and Canada.