ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Desmond Ridder and the breakthrough Cincinnati Bearcats have stalled on the big stage against top-ranked Alabama.
The Bearcats help up pretty well as the first non-Power Five school to reach the College Football Playoff.
They just couldn’t do much in a 27-6 loss to the Crimson Tide in the CFP semifinal Cotton Bowl.
Cincinnati had a chance after an interception near midfield trailing by 11 late in the third quarter.
But the Bearcats went backward and faded from there.
Alabama will face third-ranked Georgia in the title game on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs returned to their dominant ways, beating No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl to earned a rematch with Stheir outheastern Conference nemesis.
It was a little less than a month ago the Crimson Tide handed the Bulldogs their only setback of the season.
If there was any question about whether the damage from that humbling 41-24 loss would linger, the Bulldogs answered them quickly.
Georgia became the first team in the eight-year history of the CFP to score on each of its first five possessions and led 27-3 at halftime.