The 2021 Cotton Bowl semifinal game pits the king of college football against the sport’s greatest Cinderella, maybe ever.
Top-ranked Alabama is looking to become the repeat champion since Crimson Tide won back-to-back in 2011 and ’12. Nick Saban and company have had two chances to replicate that feat since then, but have failed in both attempts: Alabama beat Clemson 45-40 in the 2016 national championship game before losing a rematch to the Tigers, 35-31, in the Game for the title of the CFP 2017.
Crimson Tide rose to the top of college football the following season by beating Georgia in an SEC championship game, 26-23, but once again lost to Clemson in the title game that followed. Alabama won the 2020 national championship after beating Ohio State 52-24; Will the third time be the charm for Saban and Co.?
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No. 4 Cincinnati will do everything it can to make sure it isn’t. The Bearcats became the Group of 5 team in the eight-year history of the playoffs to win an offer and, like it or not, carry the banner of all non-independent non-Power 5 teams. That said Cincinnati absolutely deserves its place on this stage, with a combined 44-6 record in the past three seasons, an impressive stretch that includes three double-digit winning seasons and two-seater bowls on Day 6 of the New Year.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Cotton Bowl semi-final game, including time, location, betting odds, past winners, and more.
PLUS: Watch Alabama vs. Cincinnati live on fuboTV (7-day free trial)
What time does Alabama vs. Cincinnati?
- Date: Friday December 31st
- Hour: 3:30 pm ET, 12:30 pm PT
Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, December 31. It’s the first of two playoff games, with the Orange Bowl between No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Georgia beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
What channel is Alabama vs. Cincinnati?
The game will air nationally on ESPN. Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Todd Blackledge (flush) will call the game from the booth, while Molly McGrath and Laura Rutledge will report from the bench.
ESPN is also launching its Megacast for the College Football Playoff, once again providing alternative broadcasts across its entire family of networks. Here’s the full rundown.
| Broadcasting | television channel |
| Command center | ESPN2 |
| Skycast | ESPNU |
| All-22 | ESPN News |
| Spanish language | ESPN Sports |
Live stream of the college football playoff semifinals
Both College Football Playoff semifinals will air on ESPN and are available to stream live on all digital platforms on the network (ESPN.com, ESPN App, etc.).
Cable cutters have several live streaming options available to watch. Below is the list.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription required? | Free? | cost | Free Trial? |
| ESPN.com/ESPN Application | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| Yahoo! Sports app | No | Yes | – | – |
| fuboTV | No | No | $ 60 / month | Yes |
| AT&T TV now | No | No | $ 55 / month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $ 55 / month | Yes |
| Sling tv | No | No | $ 35 / month | No |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $ 65 / month | Yes |
Who plays in the Cotton Bowl semifinal?
No. 1 Alabama will play No. 4 Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl, a direct result of the top-ranked Tide’s preference to play in Arlington over the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Crimson Tide earned their first overall seed as a result of going 12-1 in the regular season and beating former No. 1 team Georgia in the SEC championship game. The Bearcats become the first Group of 5 team to win a playoff spot, breaking through thanks to an AAC championship and an unbeaten record, the last remaining in Division I football.
Where is the Cotton Bowl semifinal played?
The Cotton Bowl has been held at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, since 2010. It had previously been held at its namesake from 1937 to 2009. This is the second time this calendar year that the AT&T Stadium has hosted a playoff semifinal game. , after the Rose Bowl Game was forced to relocate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic last season.
CFP ODDS: Why Alabama Can Win | Why Cincinnati Can Win
Alabama vs. Cincinnati Betting Odds
Alabama (-14) is the favorite to win the 2021 Cotton Bowl over Cincinnati, the biggest variety of the bowl season. for FanDuel. The plus / minus is set at 57.5 points.
Cotton Bowl history
The Cotton Bowl traditionally paired champions from the now-defunct Southwestern Conference against the SEC runner-up and / or a major independent team from 1941 to 1995. With the dissolution of the SWC in 1996, the Cotton Bowl changed its link to include the runner-up. of the Big 12 against an SEC team from 1999 to 2014.
With the advent of the college football tie in 2014, the Cotton Bowl alternates as a playoff semifinal site every three years and a New Years bowl 6 in the intervening seasons. In years when the Cotton Bowl is not a semi-final game, it also hosts:
- Overall team vs. overall / group of 5 team with the highest rating
- Overall team vs. team group with the highest rate
Below are the results of the Cotton Bowl dating back to 1999, the first year of its previous association with the conference:
Rankings as of 2015 reflect CFP’s top 25 spots. The 2000-14 rankings reflect AP’s top 25.
| Year | Match | Result | Grades |
| 2021 | No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati | TBD | CFP semifinal |
| 2020 | No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Florida | Oklahoma 55, Florida 20 | |
| 2019 | No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 17 Memphis | Penn State 53, Memphis 39 | |
| 2018 | No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3 | CFP semifinal |
| 2017 | No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 8 USC | Ohio State 24, USC 7 | Played on December 29, 2017 |
| 2017 | No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 15 Western Michigan | Wisconsin 24, Western Michigan 16 | Played on January 2, 2017 |
| 2015. | No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State | Alabama 38, Michigan State 0 | CFP semifinal Played on December 31, 2015 |
| 2015. | No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 8 Michigan State | Michigan State 42, Baylor 41 | Played on January 1, 2015 |
| 2014 | No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 13 State of Oklahoma | Missouri 41, Oklahoma State 31 | |
| 2013 | No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Oklahoma | Texas A&M 41, Oklahoma 13 | |
| 2012 | No. 7 Arkansas vs. No. 11 Kansas State | Arkansas 29, Kansas State 16 | |
| 2011 | No. 11 LSU vs. No. 18 Texas A&M | LSU 41, Texas A&M 24 | |
| 2010 | No. 21 Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss | Ole Miss 21, Oklahoma State 7 | |
| 2009 | No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 20 Ole Miss | Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34 | |
| 2008 | No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 25 Arkansas | Missouri 38, Arkansas 7 | |
| 2007 | No. 10 Auburn vs. No. 22 Nebraska | Auburn 17, Nebraska 14 | |
| 2006 | No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 20 Texas Tech | Alabama 13, Texas Tech 10 | |
| 2005 | No. 15 Tennessee vs. No. 22 Texas A&M | Tennessee 38, Texas A&M 7 | |
| 2004 | No. 16 Ole Miss vs. No. 21 Oklahoma State | Ole Miss 31, Oklahoma State 28 | |
| 2003 | No. 9 Texas vs. LSU | Texas 35, LSU 20 | |
| 2002 | No. 10 Oklahoma vs. Arkansas | Oklahoma 10, Arkansas 3 | |
| 2001 | No. 11 Kansas State vs. No. 21 Tennessee | State of Kansas 35, Tennessee 21 | |
| 2000 | No. 14 Texas vs. No. 24 Arkansas | Arkansas 27, Texas 6 | |
| 1999 | No. 20 Texas vs. No. 25 Mississippi State 11 | Texas 38, Mississippi State 11 |
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.