DALLAS – Friday's Cotton Bowl Classic between top-ranked Alabama and the University of Cincinnati will kick off the eighth four-team College Football Playoff.
The No. 4-ranked Bearcats (13-0) will be the first Group of Five team to participate in the playoff since its inception in 2014. The Crimson Tide (12-1) have played in all but one of them (2019), winning three CFP national championships, including last season's crown.
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Cincinnati is fully aware of the Tide's success in the four-team tournament, and it's not intimidated by the task of toppling college football's reigning king.
“We’ve heard a lot about this ‘David vs. Goliath’ talk, but the fact of the matter is everybody puts their pants on the same way," UC offensive tackle Dylan O'Quinn said. "Everybody plays the game of football. So we just want to go out and be us.”
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3 keys to victory for the Bearcats
1. Protect the football: The most impressive victory for Cincinnati in the Luke Fickell era is its 24-13 road win over Notre Dame in October. A key to that game was the Bearcats took care of the football and didn't give the then-No. 9-ranked Fighting Irish extra possessions.
Cincinnati had one turnover that afternoon, and it came on a fumble by Desmond Ridder while the senior quarterback was being sacked to the ground.
If the Bearcats are going to beat the defending champs, they'll need to not turn the ball over and refrain from giving the Tide extra cracks at the end zone.
2. Make Bryce Young uncomfortable: Alabama quarterback Bryce Young may only be a sophomore, but he's special.
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Young is just the fifth sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. The 6-foot Pasadena, California, native cemented his claim to the prestigious award by leading the Tide on a 97-yard, game-saving drive against Auburn in the Iron Bowl with fewer than two minutes remaining.
Young has thrown 43 touchdowns and only four interceptions this season. Those 43 scores tie Tua Tagovailoa (2018) for the most in a single season in program history.
The "Blackcats" defense will need to make things uncomfortable for Young. If he has time to sit in the pocket and survey the field, it could be a long day for the back-to-back American Athletic Conference champions.
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3. Block Will Anderson: While Alabama has college football's top offensive sophomore in Young, the Tide also have the sport's most dominant sophomore on the defensive side of the ball in linebacker Will Anderson Jr.
The 6-foot-4, 243-pound Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner, presented annually to the nation's top defensive player, leads the nation in both tackles for loss (32.5) and sacks (15.5).
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Cincinnati offensive line coach Ron Crook's group's No. 1 priority will be to find Anderson and keep him from wreaking havoc in the backfield.
How to watch the Cotton Bowl
Time: 3:30 p.m. on Friday
Where: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
TV: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline) will have the call on ESPN.
Radio: Dan Hoard (play-by-play), Jim Kelly Jr. (analyst) and Mo Egger (host/engineer) will have the UC radio network call on WLW-AM (700), Sirius 82, XM 82 and Sirius App 82.
Live stream: ESPN+
Betting line: UC was a 13.5-point underdog 24 hours before kickoff.
Series history: Alabama leads 5-0.
UC-Alabama prediction
A win for Cincinnati would send the team to the national championship game and the program into the rarefied air Luke Fickell is hoping the Bearcats can fly in permanently. It's the air that belongs exclusively to the top-10 programs, not just the top-10 teams.
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The problem for Cincinnati is Alabama is college football's No. 1 program. It doesn't lose these games. Nick Saban doesn't lose these games. The Bearcats will fight hard and hold their own against the defending national champions. But it won't be enough. UC loses, 27-21.
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