The 2017 Cotton Bowl Classic was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2017, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It featured the Western Michigan Broncos from the Mid-American Conference and the Wisconsin Badgers from the Big Ten Conference. The 81st Cotton Bowl Classic was one of the New Years Six bowl games in the College Football Playoff for the 2016–17 bowl games concluding the 2016 FBS football season.

Quick Facts Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Total ...

2017 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
CFP New Year’s Six 81st Cotton Bowl Classic
Western Michigan Broncos Wisconsin Badgers (13–0) (10–3) MAC Big Ten 16 24 Head coach:  P. J. Fleck Head coach:  Paul Chryst AP Coaches CFP 12 15 15 AP Coaches CFP 8 8 8
1 2 3 4 Total Western Michigan 0 7 3 6 16 Wisconsin 14 3 0 7 24
Date	January 2, 2017
Season	2016
Stadium	AT&T Stadium
Location	Arlington, Texas
MVP	Offense: Troy Fumagalli (TE, WIS) Defense: T. J. Edwards (LB, WIS)
Favorite	Wisconsin by 8.5
Referee	Riley Johnson (ACC)
Attendance	59,615
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard and Allison Williams (ESPN)
Cotton Bowl Classic  < 2015 (Dec.) 2017 (Dec.) >

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The game was broadcast on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and XM Satellite Radio. It was sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and was officially known as the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion Western Michigan was selected as an at-large as the highest ranked College Football Playoff (CFP) Group of Five team while Wisconsin was chosen as an at-large out of the Big Ten Conference. Wisconsin was an 81⁄2 point favorite to start the game.^[1]

This was the fifth meeting between the schools, with Wisconsin leading the all-time series 4–1. The most recent meeting was on August 31, 2000, where the Badgers defeated the Broncos by a score of 19–7.^[2] This was the first Cotton Bowl for both teams.

With Western Michigan representing the MAC, this was the first Cotton Bowl Classic to feature a MAC team.