1986 Cotton Bowl Classic

1986 Cotton Bowl Classic
50th Cotton Bowl Classic
1234Total
Auburn 763016
Texas A&M 12361536
DateJanuary 1, 1986
Season1985
StadiumCotton Bowl
LocationDallas, Texas
MVPDomingo Bryant (A&M SS)
Bo Jackson    (Auburn RB)
FavoriteAuburn by 2 points
RefereeSam Maphis (Big Eight)
Attendance73,137
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersBrent Musburger,
Ara Parseghian

The 1986 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 50th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, January 1. Part of the 1985–86 bowl game season, it matched the sixteenth-ranked Auburn Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Texas A&M Aggies of the Southwest Conference (SWC). A slight underdog, Texas A&M won by twenty points, 36–16.