LSU coach Les Miles clearly remembers his days as a Dallas Cowboys assistant from 1998 to 2000 when he rubbed elbows with plenty of Texas A&M Aggies, all who made their passions clear.
"So I do understand the fever pitch that the A&M crowd can have," Miles said.
Aggies coach Mike Sherman has experienced playing against the Tigers as an assistant at A&M, including being welcomed as "Tiger Bait."
So while the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic doesn't kick off until 7 p.m. Jan. 7 at Cowboys Stadium, participating teams and bowl organizers are already getting goose pimples thinking about the first-ever prime-time game atmosphere in front of a sold-out crowd projected to be at 80,000-plus.
The coaches and organizers shared a mutual-respect fest during a conference call Friday with the media.
Cotton Bowl president Rick Baker said the game was the quickest sellout he can remember in his 23 years with the bowl.
The matchup appears to have a strong chance to live up to its billing. LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson won two major national defensive awards Thursday night, and he's electric as a returner on special teams, with Sherman calling him "phenomenal."
The Tigers rank seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense, allowing 301.7 yards per game. A&M has won six straight games, including wins over Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas, sparked by Ryan Tannehill taking over at quarterback and a defensive resurgence.
"There's a lot of similarities between the programs," Miles said. "This A&M team plays with great passion. They're on a great run."
A&M already knows what it's like to play at Cowboys Stadium after facing Arkansas there the last two seasons. For the Cotton Bowl, Fox will be testing out production for the upcoming Super Bowl in the stadium.
"The Jumbotron can be a little bit of a distraction for the team," Sherman said of the massive video board. "It is helpful sometimes when you want to see what the heck happened on the last play.
"The fact that the Super Bowl is going to be played there shortly thereafter and the networks are getting everything set up, we're going to have every angle possible on that Jumbotron. That will be kind of a neat atmosphere for us."
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