College Football Playoff Semifinal 86th Cotton Bowl Classic
Cincinnati Bearcats
Alabama Crimson Tide
(13–0)
(12–1)
AAC
SEC
6
27
Head coach: Luke Fickell
Head coach: Nick Saban
AP
Coaches
CFP
4
4
4
AP
Coaches
CFP
1
1
1
1
2
3
4
Total
Cincinnati
3
0
3
0
6
Alabama
7
10
0
10
27
Date
December 31, 2021
Season
2021
Stadium
AT&T Stadium
Location
Arlington, Texas
MVP
Brian Robinson Jr. (RB, Alabama)
Will Anderson Jr. (OLB, Alabama)
Favorite
Alabama by 13.5[1]
Referee
Steve Strimling (Pac-12) [2]
Attendance
76,313
United States TV coverage
Network
ESPN ESPN Radio
Announcers
ESPN: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (color), Molly McGrath, and Laura Rutledge (sidelines) ESPN Radio: Sean Kelley (play-by-play), Barrett Jones (analyst) and Ian Fitzsimmons (sideline)
Nielsen ratings
16.6 million viewers
International TV coverage
Network
ESPN Brazil
Announcers
Matheus Suman (play-by-play) and Weinny Eirado (analyst)
Cotton Bowl Classic
< 2020
2023 (Jan.) >
1 vs. 4 Seed CFP Semifinal Game
< 2021 Rose
2022 Peach >
AT&T Stadium, site of the Cotton Bowl Classic
The 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2021, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The 86th edition of the Cotton Bowl Classic and the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal games, the game featured two of the four teams selected by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee- the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide from the Southeastern Conference and the No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats from the American Athletic Conference; the latter becoming the first Group of Five team to appear in a College Football Playoff, and the season's last major undefeated team in the FBS. The winner advanced to face the winner of the Orange Bowl at the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, which is at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The game began at 2:30 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. The game was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the game was officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
^Fawkes, Ben. "Odds for College Football Playoff, every bowl game". vsin.com. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
^"2021-22 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
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