The Alabama Crimson Tide are favorites for both the Cotton Bowl and the College Football Playoff overall at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark with the biggest matchups of bowl season set for New Year's Eve this week.
The Crimson Tide are set as 9.5-point favorites against the Michigan State Spartans for their Cotton Bowl national semifinal matchup on Thursday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Alabama went 12-1 straight up and 7-6 against the spread this season.
And Alabama's lone loss came months ago, when it fell 43-37 as nine-point favorites to Mississippi. Since that game the Crimson Tide have rolled to 10 straight victories, and they've managed to cover the spread in five of their last seven outings.