Cincinnati vs. Alabama

COTTON BOWL - Cincinnati continues to be underrated by the oddsmakers, even though the Bearcats are 13-0 SU and 8-5 ATS and handed Notre Dame its only loss of the season. Desmond Ridder has 3,190 passing yards with 30 touchdowns and only eight interceptions with a 65.9% completion rate. Jerome Ford has rushed for 1,242 yards and 19 TDs, and three receivers have at least 400 yards, including Alec Pierce with 867 receiving yards and eight TDs. The Bearcats are averaging 428.5 yards and 39.2 points per game and are #8 in the country in yards allowed and #4 in scoring defense, allowing just 16.1 points per game. Alabama is 7-6 ATS, and its schedule included games against Mercer, Southern Miss, and New Mexico State. Also, the Crimson Tide were very fortunate to beat Auburn, which was a 20.5-point underdog. This line is inflated as Alabama has the Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback in Bryce Young, which was well deserved, but Auburn had him reasonably contained until the final drive of regulation. His QB rating in that game was 110.3, his lowest of the season. Cincinnati is 6-0 ATS versus teams with winning records, and Alabama is 1-4 ATS after scoring at least 40 points in its previous game. Play Cincinnati.