This day in sports history

BY COLIN “BIG C” MACGUIRE

The Greenville Standard

 

Alabama will be playing the Cincinnati Bearcats on Dec. 31, at The Cotton Bowl in Dallas for the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff at 2:30 on ESPN.

This will be Cincinnati’s first appearance in the playoffs. This will be Alabama’s seventh appearance in the eight years of the playoffs.

Alabama’s record is 8-3 in the playoffs. Alabama won three national championships with two runner-up finishes.

They won in 2015,2017, and 2020. The way I see how the game is gonna go, Cincinnati will be fired up

Emotion can carry you for a while, but I see Alabama pulling away in the second half, winning 35-20 and face the winner of the Georgia-Michigan game.

Alabama has played several times on this date.

In the 1970 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, they tied Oklahoma 24-24. Alabama missed a 34 yard field goal for the win.

Oklahoma ran the wishbone that night. The next year Alabama ran that offense.

In the 1973 Sugar Bowl, Alabama lost to Notre Dame 23-24. The kicking game hurt Alabama.

Notre Dame returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. Alabama missed an extra point. Notre Dame kicked a 19-yard field goal that made the difference.

In the 1975 Sugar Bowl, Alabama beat Penn State 13-6 and broke an eight game winless streak.

In the 2004 Music City Bowl, Alabama lost to Minnesota 16-20. A fumble return by Minnesota and overthrown pass to a wide open Alabama was the difference in the game.

In the 2015 Cotton Bowl semifinal playoff game, Alabama routed Michigan State 38-0. It was a total domination by Alabama.

In the 2016 Peach Bowl semifinal game, Alabama dominated Washington 24-7. Washington was Alabama’s first bowl opponent 1926.

Bo Scarbrough ran like a Wildman. Alabama’s record on this date is 4-2-1.