College Football Playoff Semifinals Preview

What a college football season we’ve had. Following the saddest year in college football history — COVID-19 kept the majority of stadiums either empty or with limited capacity — the 2021 regular season was a massive treat. 

From the very first kickoff, the energy in the stands was back, bringing with it all the passion and pageantry that comes with the sport we so love. We’re now approaching the finish line, with a National Champion to be crowned on January 10th. Before a team gets to hoist the eighth College Football Playoff championship trophy, we still have three games to play. 

The CFP semifinals are just about 24 hours away, so let’s take a look at the matchups. 

No. 1 Alabama vs No. 4 Cincinnati – 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

It’s about time we got some fresh blood in the CFP. For the first time in the existence of the CFP, a team outside of the Power Five will play for a national championship. Cincinnati enters the Cotton Bowl undefeated, fresh off of a win over a good Houston team in the AAC Championship Game. And while the Bearcats have some quality wins on their schedule, including beating a top-10 Notre Dame team on the road, they’ve never faced a team as talented as Alabama. 

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide appeared shaky for most of the year, even though they found a way to win the SEC West. Close wins over LSU and Auburn to end the year allowed many to think they were finally vulnerable. And then, the SEC Championship Game reminded everyone of what a Saban-coached football team can do. 

Alabama and quarterback Bryce Young dominated what everyone thought was the best team in the country in Georgia. Young secured the Heisman trophy in the win, throwing for 421 yards and three touchdowns against the best defense in the country. To put it into perspective, heading into the SEC Championship Game, 387 yards was the most Georgia’s defense had allowed in a single game. Alabama had 365 yards … in the first half. They finished with 536 yards for the game. 

All this to say, there’s a reason why Alabama will enter Friday’s game as two-touchdown favorites. They have the most talented roster in the country, and the offensive performance against Georgia’s defense is still fresh in everyone’s minds. 

But in the words of the great Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friends.” 

Cincinnati is no joke, and while I would be out of my mind to bet against Alabama, I’m at least comfortable in thinking that Alabama will fail to cover. 

The matchup to watch will be Alabama’s receiving core against Cincinnati’s secondary.

Cincinnati boasts the No. 2 pass defense in the nation (168.3 yards allowed per game), and is fifth in the country in points allowed per game (16.1). Their secondary is led by two phenomenal corners. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner — the AAC Defensive Player of the Year — has yet to give up a touchdown in his career. According to Cincinnati’s website, Gardner allowed just 13 catches for 117 yards in the 2021 season. 

And there’s the corner on the other side of the field. Senior Coby Bryant was named the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in college football. 

“Their two corners are long and are good players,” Saban said. “They play a lot of man-to-man. They’ve got good ball skills. They’re good man-to-man players. They’re aggressive in the way they play. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They’re smart. They’ve got a lot of experience, even when they change it up and they play zone. They’re ball-hawkers, they’re all ball-hawkers back there. They really attack the ball. They’ve got a lot of turnovers. So it’s really a talented group.”

They’ll be tasked with slowing down stud wide receiver Jameson Williams. The junior is coming off a spectacular performance in the SEC Championship Game, hauling in seven catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll be Young’s primary target with the absence of John Metchie, out for the season after suffering a torn ACL against Georgia. 

It’s an injury that can’t be overlooked considering that Metchie was Young’s top target for the season, catching 96 passes on the year. If Cincinnati is able to slow down the Young-to-Williams connection, Alabama will be counting on some unproven receivers to step up. 

No. 2 Michigan vs No. 3 Georgia – 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Talk about two teams in very different positions. 

Georgia is coming off a shellacking at the hands of Alabama — their first loss of the season — while Michigan is riding high, coming off big wins over rival Ohio State and Iowa in the BIG 10 Championship Game. 

Georgia has done it all year with their defense. Before getting smacked by Alabama, the Bulldogs defense was number one in the country in just about every category. Even after

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