Cincinnati's players and coaches downplayed Monday any role the underdog label may play for the Bearcats against heavily favored Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
The Crimson Tide are a 13 1/2-point favorite against the Bearcats, who went 13-0 this season and have won 23 of their last 24 games dating to the end of the 2019 season. Their only loss during that span was a 24-21 setback to Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to cap the 2020 season on a 53-yard field goal with three seconds remaining.