The 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati was a historic matchup far before the first snap as the defending champions met the first Group of Five team to make the CFP.
Although the Crimson Tide were a 13.5-point favorite, the third-largest spread in a CFP game, some players still entered the semifinal showdown with something to prove.
"I still feel like we're the underdog in this game," Bama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. said. "All year we have been disrespected.