The Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) put their 10-game win streak on the line when they square off with the Michigan State Spartans (12-1) for the opportunity to close out the season with a Cotton Bowl win. The game kicks off Thursday, Dec 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be shown on ESPN.
In the SEC Championship game, Alabama defeated Florida 29-15. Calvin Ridley had a huge game in the win, grabbing eight balls for 102 yards. ArDarius Stewart added 64 receiving yards and a TD on four catches. In the Big 10 Championship game, Michigan State got a close victory over Iowa 16-13. Aaron Burbridge had a solid outing for the Spartans, registering five receptions for 61 yards. Connor Cook finished with 191 yards through the air.
Alabama is an eight-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 49 points.
The Crimson Tide enter the game with records of 12-1 Straight Up (SU) and 7-6 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Over their last five games, the Crimson Tide have records of 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS. The Alabama running game is averaging 239.8 rushing yards during its last five matchups. Turning to the Crimson Tide defense, there are several areas to keep an eye on. The Spartans could have a difficult time running the ball against the No. 1 run defense in the nation. The Crimson Tide give up 74 yards per game on the ground. Alabama’s special teams are one of its strengths. They earn 119.5 return yards per game, putting them 10th in Division I.
As for their opponent, the Spartans have a record of 5-7-1 ATS and 12-1 SU. The Spartans went 4-1 SU and 3-1-1 ATS over the last five games. Over the last five games, the Spartans turned it up on defense, only allowing an average of 212.0 passing yards per game. Don’t expect many calls against the Spartans on game day. They average only 43 penalty yards per game, the 23rd-fewest in the nation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Alabama, ATS Winner – Alabama, O/U – Over
Notes
Alabama is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Michigan State is 8-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Alabama is 10-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
The Alabama defense is averaging 3.5 sacks per game this season, but Michigan State is a perfect 3-0 SU when allowing at least 3.0 sacks in a game.
