Cotton Bowl Matchup

No. 2 Alabama (12-1, SEC) vs. No. 3 Michigan State (12-1, Big Ten), Dec. 31, 8 p.m. LOCATION: Arlington, Texas TOP PLAYERS Alabama: RB Derrick Henry broke

No. 2 Alabama (12-1, SEC) vs. No. 3 Michigan State (12-1, Big Ten), Dec. 31, 8 p.m.

LOCATION: Arlington, Texas

TOP PLAYERS

Alabama: RB Derrick Henry broke Herschel Walker's SEC single-season record with 1,986 yards rushing. His 23 rushing touchdowns matched the SEC mark shared by Tim Tebow and Auburn's Tre Mason.

Michigan State: Fifth-year senior Connor Cook is the winningest quarterback in Spartans history, 34-4 as the starter and 5-1 vs. AP top 10 teams.

NOTABLE

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Georgia
• Utah
• Alabama
• UCLA
• Notre Dame
• Texas
• Miami (FL)
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• BYU
• Kentucky
• Texas Tech

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Alabama: Won six games against ranked opponents, the most by any team. ... 63rd bowl game, the most in college football history, as are its 34 bowl victories.

Michigan St.: Four-game bowl winning streak matches the longest in Big Ten history and is longest active streak in FBS. ... 4-0 this season against ranked teams.

LAST TIME

Alabama 49, Michigan St. 7 (Jan. 1, 2011, Capital One Bowl, only previous meeting)

BOWL HISTORY

Alabama: Eighth Cotton Bowl appearance, first since beating Texas Tech 13-10 on last-second field goal in 2006.

Michigan St.: Second consecutive Cotton Bowl appearance, second overall.