Who plays in the Cotton Bowl 2020? Teams, date, schedule for New Year’s 6 bowl game

No. 13 Penn State (10-2) meets No. 15 Memphis (12-1) in the 2019 Cotton Bowl Classic.

The Tigers won the American Athletic Conference championship and earned the Group of 5 berth in the New Year's Day 6. Mike Norvell, who took the job at Florida State, plans on coaching the bowl game for the Tigers.

Get the Latest NCAA odds & betting advice at Sports Insider

They will play a classic Big Ten power in Penn State. The Nittany Lions are in their third New Year's Day 6 bowl under James Franklin.

Sporting News offers an early preview for the Cotton Bowl Classic between the Tigers and Nittany Lions:

When is the Cotton Bowl 2020?

• Date: Dec. 28
• Time: Noon (ET)
• TV broadcast: ESPN
• Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

The 2020 Cotton Bowl is at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will be televised at noon (ET) on ESPN.

Who plays in the Cotton Bowl 2020?

Memphis and Penn State have never played each other.

The Nittany Lions have, however, played in three previous Cotton Bowl, the last one coming in 1975. Franklin led Penn State to a Rose Bowl appearance in 2016 and a Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2017. Penn State split those bowl matchups.

This will be Memphis' 12th bowl appearance in school history. The Tigers are 4-7 in bowl games, including 0-3 under Norvell. This is their first appearance in the Cotton Bowl.

MORE: College football bowl schedule

Cotton Bowl 2020 odds

Sporting News will have Cotton Bowl odds when they become available.

Memphis vs. Penn State three things to watch

Penn State's defense

The Nittany Lions have a loaded front seven that features linebacker Micah Parsons, who had 95 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. Penn State has a chance to win 11 games for the third time in five years under Franklin. Memphis' offense, which averaged 40.5 points per game, offers an interesting test.

Big-time playmakers

There are a pair of exciting playmakers in this game. Memphis' Kenneth Gainwell had 1,873 total yards with 15 touchdowns and averaged 7.6 yards per touch this season. Penn State's KJ Hamler battled injuries this season, but he averaged 13.6 yards per touch with eight touchdowns.

Group of 5 hype?

Group of 5 schools are 3-2 in New Year's Day 6 bowls, and American Athletic Conference teams are 2-1. Houston (2014) and UCF (2017) picked up victories in this spotlight, and this would be a program-building victory for the Tigers even with the departure of Norvell.

New Year's Day 6 bowl schedule 2020