The Alabama Crimson Tide are the no. 1 team heading into the Cotton Bowl matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the College Football Playoff semifinals, but linebacker Will Anderson is not buying the favorite tag on his team. In fact, he believes it's the other way around, via Mike Rodak of AL.com.
“To me, I still feel like we’re the underdog in this game,” he said Monday. “All year we’ve been disrespected. I’m pretty sure we’re probably getting disrespected out there.”
It's hard to imagine Alabama as the underdog against Cincinnati, no matter the perspective of Anderson. But he's also got every right to think that way, especially if he believes that his claim is going to keep his team from feeling too confident and keep his teammates on their toes as they prepare for the showdown with the 13.5-point underdog Bearcats.
It's also important to note that Alabama lost its no. 1 status when it got upset by the Texas A&M Aggies back in October but the Crimson Tide managed to regain the top seed by winning all their games the rest of the way since. That included their win in the SEC Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs which cemented Alabama's hold on the no. 1 seed.
If anything, it's Cincinnati that probably has the bigger reason to feel disrespected despite making it to the CFP, as may feel that the Bearcats do not belong in the final four despite Luke Fickell steering the team to a 13-0 record.