When reading what the national media has to say about the Michigan State vs Alabama game, one thing becomes clear: the Spartans have been given little to no chance to beat the Crimson Tide in the Cotton Bowl.
Despite having beaten teams like Georgia, TCU, Stanford and Baylor in the past four bowl games, Michigan State still gets very little respect — not to mention the five 11-win seasons in six years.
To be fair, the last time Michigan State and Alabama faced off was after the 2010 season in the 2011 Capital One Bowl in which the Crimson Tide crushed the Spartans, 49-7.