The National Championship game for the 2021 College Football season will be a rematch of the SEC Title contest, as top ranked Alabama and third ranked Georgia rolled to semifinal wins in the CFP on Friday.
Alabama (13-1) jumped out to a 17-3 lead over #4 Cincinnati at halftime holding the Bearcats to just 81 total yards in the first half, and added 10 more points in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 27-6 victory at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for an Alabama bowl record 204 yards (third most ever in CFP history). Quarterback Bryce Young threw for 181 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The Crimson Tide held the nations ninth best scoring offense in Cincinnati to single digits and outgained them 483-218 in total yardage. Desmond Ridder had 144 yards passing in the loss for the Bearcats, and Jerome Ford had 77 yards rushing. Cincinnati, the first non-power 5 team in the college football playoff, finished at 13-1.
At Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the #3 Georgia Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and never looked back in a convincing 34-11 win over #2 Michigan in the Orange Bowl.
Georgia (13-1) built the lead to 27-3 at halftime and were never really challenged by the Big 10 Champion Wolverines. Stetson Bennett threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, and backup QB Kenny McIntosh also tossed another score as the Bulldogs had four different receivers catch TD passes. Starter Cade McNamara threw for just 106 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for Michigan. Andrel Anthony caught the lone score for the Wolverines from backup QB J.J. McCarthy. The maize and blue finished their season at 12-2.
The National Championship game is scheduled for Monday, January 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis at 8 p.m. Alabama defeated Georgia in the SEC Title game 41-24 back on December 4. The Crimson Tide will be seeking their fourth championship since the college football playoffs were inducted, making their fifth appearance in the last six years. They are also seeking the 19th overall title for the school and the seventh under head coach Nick Saban. Georgia is seeking their first since 1980.
