That loud noise echoing through the suites at Nippert Stadium on Sunday afternoon was the sound of cheers from members of the University of Cincinnati football team. It was also the sound of the Bearcats crashing through college football's glass ceiling and becoming the first team outside the Power Five conferences to earn an invitation to the College Football Playoff.
The back-to-back American Athletic Conference champion Bearcats (13-0) landed at No. 4 in the final CFP rankings after being the only remaining undefeated team in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
More:Cincinnati at No. 4 becomes first Group of Five team to crack College Football Playoff
Cincinnati's reward is a reservation in the Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Eve (3:30 p.m. on ESPN). Awaiting the Bearcats is a CFP semifinal game against the reigning kings of college football, Alabama.
"More than anything, our guys are just incredibly excited to be challenged against obviously the No. 1 team in the country in Coach Saban and the Crimson Tide, who obviously they know everything about," UC coach Luke Fickell said. "So for us and the program, it's an incredible opportunity and a great measuring stick in all that we've been doing."
More:As other coaches left, Luke Fickell stayed at Cincinnati to continue to build
The Southeastern Conference champion Crimson Tide, who won last season's national championship, opened as a 14-point favorite against Cincinnati and are the favorite among the four remaining teams (also No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Georgia) to win a second straight national title.
"This will be a real challenge for us in every way, shape and form, and we're happy to have the opportunity to play against one of the top teams in the country," Alabama coach Nick Saban said of the Bearcats.
Our First Look at the Alabama Crimson Tide
RECORD: Alabama is 12-1 this season with its only loss coming at Texas A&M (8-4, No. 25 in final CFP rankings). The Crimson Tide lost 41-38 to the Aggies on Oct. 9.
Alabama has four single-digit victories this season – Sept. 18 at Florida (31-29), Nov. 6 against LSU (20-14), Nov. 20 against Arkansas (42-35) and Nov. 27 at Auburn (24-22 in four overtimes).
RANKING: Alabama has been in the top four in each of the six College Football Playoff rankings this season. The Tide jumped from No. 3 into the top spot in the final CFP rankings after a 41-24 victory over then-top-ranked Georgia (12-1) last week in the SEC championship game.
Alabama is No. 1 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches polls.
HEAD COACH: Before Lincoln Riley (USC) and Brian Kelly (LSU) inked their new massive contracts, Saban was the highest-paid coach in college football, raking in more than $9.75 million a year.
Since taking over the Alabama program in January 2007, Saban is 182-24. The 70-year-old Fairmont, West Virginia, native has led the Crimson Tide to six national championships, including three (2015, '17, '20) in the CFP era (since 2014).
Saban's Alabama teams have played in every College Football Playoff but one (2019).
Saban also won a national championship as the head coach at LSU in 2003. Saban has a 273-66-1 (.804) record across 26 seasons as a college football head coach. He was 15-17 in two years as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins in the NFL (2005-06).
Saban was a defensive back at Kent State in the early 1970s.
KEY PLAYERS: The Crimson Tide are led by sophomore quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Bryce Young.
Earning the starting job after spending last season backing up Mac Jones, Young has thrown for 4,322 yards (332.5 yards per game) and 43 touchdowns on 315-of-463 passing (68%). Young has tossed just four interceptions.
![Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes against Georgia during the first half of Saturday's Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta. [JOHN BAZEMORE / AP]](https://cdn.cincylink.com/pub/content/uploads/sites/27/2021/12/1639086424_738_A-look-at-Alabama-UCs-opponent-in-CFP-semifinal.jpg)
While junior Ohio State transfer wide receiver Jameson Williams has 68 catches and leads the Tide with 1,445 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, Alabama will be without Young's other top target in John Metchie III.
Saban confirmed Metchie suffered a torn ACL in the SEC title game will not play against the Bearcats. The 6-foot, 195-pound wideout has 96 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
Defensively, Alabama has one of the top defenders in the college game in linebacker Will Anderson Jr. The 6-foot-4, 243-pound sophomore has racked up 92 total tackles, including 32.5 for a loss and 15.5 sacks. The latter two numbers lead all FBS players.
Anderson was named the recipient of the 2021 Bronco Nagurski Trophy, presented annually to the top defensive player in the nation by the Football Writers Association of America.
SERIES HISTORY: Cincinnati and Alabama have played each other five times, with the Crimson Tide winning each matchup. The most recent meeting between the two programs came in 1990. Alabama won 45-7. The Tide have outscored Cincinnati 156-27 in the series.
FUN FACT: Alabama has one player from Cincinnati on its roster in freshman defensive back Devonta Smith. The former La Salle High School standout, who originally committed to Ohio State, has seen playing time on special teams this season and was selected as one of the special teams players of the week by the Tide coaching staff for his performance Nov. 13 against New Mexico State.
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