Bama Central

How to Watch Alabama Football against Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl Classic

The reigning champion Crimson Tide and Bearcats square off in a College Football Playoff semifinal for a chance to play in the national title game.
Christopher Walsh|
How to Watch Alabama Football against Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl Classic
How to Watch Alabama Football against Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl Classic

Of the 11 schools that currently make up the American Athletic Conference, which will soon lose Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston to the Big 12, and add Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, UTSA, Rice and UAB, only three have ever defeated Alabama in football. 

Cincinnati is not one of them. 

The Bearcats are 0-5 against the Crimson Tide, and have been outscored 156-27. The most recent meeting was on Nov. 17, 1990, a 45-7 victory for the home team even though the game was played at Legion Field. 

The programs have never met in a bowl game, or at a true neutral site.   

Nick Saban has never faced Cincinnati as a head coach, and Cincinnati's Luke Fickell has also never led a team agains the Crimson Tide. 

Yet here they are playing with a spot in the national title game on the line. 

The only three current AAC programs to have enjoyed a win against Alabama are Central Florida (1-0), Memphis (1-7) and Tulane (11-27-3), which was an original member of the SEC when it was formed in 1932. 

The Green Wave left in 1965, in the wake of Georgia Tech's departure. However, Tulane still has more SEC football titles than Mississippi State (two) or Kentucky (one), or the five schools that have yet to win their first: Vanderbilt, Arkansas, South Carolina, Missouri and Texas A&M. 

Overall, AAC programs are 13-60-3 against Alabama and have been outscored 1,732-646. 

None of the 13 wins came when the schools were part of the American conference. 

What: CFP semifinal, Cotton Bowl Classic 

When: December 31, 2021, 2:30 p.m. CT

Where: AT&T Stadium (80,000 capacity), Arlington, Texas 

TV: ESPN (Play-by-play Sean McDonough, Analyst Todd Blackledge, Alabama Sideline Laura Rutledge).

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-by-Play Eli Gold, Analyst John Parker Wilson, Sideline Rashad Johnson, Host Chris Stewart). Sirius/XM/SXM App: 84/84/84. ESPN Radio: (Play-by-Play Sean Kelley, Analyst Barrett Jones, Sideline Ian Fitzsimmons).

Alabama vs. Cincinnati Series History

Date, W-L Score, Location 

Oct. 17, 1908 W 16-0, Tuscaloosa 

Oct. 23, 1982 W 21-3, Tuscaloosa 

Nov. 17, 1984 W 29-7, Cincinnati 

Sept. 21, 1985 W 45-10, Tuscaloosa

 Nov. 17, 1990 W 45-7, Birmingham 

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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