The Alabama and Cincinnati Bearcats football teams made the trip to Arlington, Texas, for a College Football Playoff semifinal at the 2021 Cotton Bowl on Friday, Dec. 31.
Alabama, ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, comes into the matchup 12-1 overall. Most recently, Alabama defeated Georgia 41-24 on Dec. 4 in the SEC Championship.
The No. 4-ranked UC Bearcats enter the game 13-0 overall. On Dec. 4, Cincinnati beat Houston 35-20 in the AAC Championship.
Entering their CFP semifinal, Alabama leads the all-time series 5-0 vs. the Cincinnati Bearcats.
CFP semifinal: Alabama vs. Cincinnati football officials
The officials for the College Football Playoff semifinal at the 2021 Cotton Bowl between the Alabama vs. Cincinnati Bearcats football teams on Friday, Dec. 31 are:
- Referee: Steve Strimling
- Umpire: Matthew Jordan
- Linesman: Darryl Johnson
- Line judge: Cravonne Barrett
- Back judge: David Ross
- Field judge: Brad Glenn
- Side judge: Max Causey
- Center judge: Jim Wharrie
- Alternate: Francisco Villar
- Replay: Jim Northcott
- Communicator: Dan Antonietti
Here's more Alabama, UC Bearcats football news:
Luke Fickell is the Cincinnati Bearcats football head coach. Nick Saban is the Alabama football head coach.
Erik Hall is the lead digital producer for sports with the USA Today Network. You can find him on Twitter @HallErik.
