The annual tradition of the Alabama Crimson Tide winning in the College Football Playoff just went down. They defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats, the first-ever non-Power 5 team to make the playoff, in the Cotton Bowl by a score of 27-6.
Brian Robinson Jr. put on a show for the Crimson Tide, setting a program record by rushing for 204 yards. Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young completed 17 of his 28 pass attempts threw for 181 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder threw for 144 yards while completing 17 throws in 32 tries.
Several NFL stars reacted to the first CFP game of the night.
Marlon Humphrey, a former member of the Crimson Tide, came out with a strong take against Cincinnati after Alabama sealed the victory.
Fake undefeateds do not belong in College Football – Analyst Humph
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) December 31, 2021
Presumably, Humphrey means that teams with softer schedules don't belong with the true heavyweights of the sport. Taylor Lewan echoed similar sentiments.
Cincinnati had to be the sacrificial Lamb for the non power 5 schools. Now we know.
— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) January 1, 2022
Jerry Jeudy, Mark Ingram and Jaylen Waddle were among the legion of former Alabama players showing their school spirit after the win.
NEXT
— Jerry Jeudy⁴ (@jerryjeudy) December 31, 2021
🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘
— JW (@D1__JW) January 1, 2022
ROLL TIDE‼️ https://t.co/E3FEUE2Iv2
— Mark Ingram II (@markingramII) January 1, 2022
Cincinnati's side didn't have as many NFL players backing them, though the Bearcats did have one of the league's biggest stars rooting hard for them. Travis Kelce, who attended the game with teammate Patrick Mahomes, voiced his pride in the team for their terrific season. He also threw a little shade at Alabama.
I love y’all UC!!! We gotta be better in every aspect!! Let’s learn from this and keep growing. S/O to bama for a hell of a performance https://t.co/cj1JZXYIzu
— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) January 1, 2022
Let’s be honest tho…. Bama didn’t impress anyone tonight. They played good enough….
— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) January 1, 2022
Despite the incredible season, Cincinnati isn't moving on after the Cotton Bowl defeat. Alabama will face either the Michigan Wolverines or Georgia Bulldogs in the National Championship.