Why Cincinnati Will Win The Goodyear Cotton Bowl
The starting 22 is good enough.
There might not be the overall depth to hang with Alabama – almost no one has that – but from QB Desmond Ridder to CB Ahmad Gardner to DE Myjai Sanders to S Bryan Cook to RB Jerome Ford to CB Coby Bryant and on and on, Cincinnati has the guys who can handle themselves in a game of this magnitude.
The defensive front was a rock all year, it’s a great group at taking the ball away, the secondary is among the best in America thanks to a great pass rush – it’s all there on D and it should all work.
Alabama might be special in so many ways, but the offensive front allows way too many tackles for loss – Bryce Young and the Tide backfield is about to be under siege.
The defense can hold up, and the offensive side has the balance to keep the Tide on their heels. The Bearcat ground game might not be all that consistent, but Ford and the backs can hit home runs. Ridder might be off for stretches, and then he’ll make three throws in a row to change the game around.
Throw in the special teams big plays that changed games around – like with a kick return against Indiana and a blocked kick against East Carolina – and the Bearcats have a complete team.
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Why Alabama Will Win The Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Can Alabama bring the SEC Championship level focus and execution?
If Alabama plays its best game and Cincinnati plays its best game, Alabama wins easily.
The question is whether or not Alabama can put together a full 60 minutes – it has a way of falling a sleep for sizable portions of games – and if Cincinnati can pounce on the opportunity.
Yeah, Alabama has played with fire way too often this year, but it only got burned once. It was able to come through when it absolutely had to time and again, and it managed to do it with explosion.
It didn’t matter who the Tide played, the passing game worked with over 300 passing yards in each of the last eight games as Bryce Young got more and more comfortable.
He’s been able to deal with being pressured in game after game, he’s been able to operate just fine even when the running attack wasn’t great, and he has always managed to be the coolest guy in the room no matter what the situation. Cincinnati won’t bother him.
On the other side, the Bearcats haven’t seen anything close to as amazing as the talent about to come from the Alabama pass rush.
Young might be the Heisman-winning star, but Will Anderson and the Tide defensive front are rested up now and should look and play a half-beat faster. The Bearcat offensive front might be great in pass protection and it can get physical, but Bama will get to Desmond Ridder.
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