What channel is Alabama vs. Cincinnati on and what is game time for 2021 Cotton Bowl

AT&T Stadium win Arlington, TX, will be the site of the first College Football Playoff matchup on New Year’s Eve as the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide will battle the No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats in the Cotton Bowl.

Alabama (12-1) enters this year’s CFP in hopes of defending its title and and at times looked vulnerable this season unlike the juggernaut 2020 team. The Crimson Tide needed a frantic comeback to down Auburn in the Iron Bowl at the end of the season but promptly followed that up by demolishing Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama is of course led by Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, who threw 43 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards this season.

Cincinnati (13-0) enters as the first Group of Five program to make the CFP, something skeptics thought the committee would never allow to happen. The Bearcats ran through the American Athletic Conference for a second year in a row but earned its props by taking down Notre Dame on the road in early-October. Cincy is led by the QB-RB tandem of Desmond Ridder and Jerome Ford on offense and the lethal defensive backfield of Ahmad Gardner and Coby Bryant on defense.

Alabama vs. Cincinnati: 2021 Cotton Bowl TV info

Date: Friday, December 31st
Kick off time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: ESPN
Current spread on DraftKings Sportsbook: Alabama -14