Cotton Bowl 2015: Analyzing Top Positional Matchups in Alabama vs Michigan State

On paper, the 2015 Cotton Bowl is the bigger mismatch between the two College Football Playoff semifinals. Of course, many said the same thing of last year's clash between the SEC and Big Ten champions, and look how that game ended up.

From a personnel perspective, Alabama is a stronger team than Michigan State, and the Spartans' overall style will play right into the Crimson Tide's hands.

Crazy things can happen during bowl season. Alabama can't afford to take Michigan State lightly, or it will suffer the same fate as the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

Looking ahead to the semifinal, the results of these two positional battles will likely have a significant say on the final result.

Key Matchups

Alabama LT Cam Robinson/Alabama RT Dominick Jackson vs. Michigan State DE Shilique Calhoun

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Few pass-rushers are more intimidating than Shilique Calhoun. He probably would've been a first-round draft pick last year but decided to stay at Michigan State for another season.

Calhoun leads the Spartans with 10.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, and according to Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner, he is the second-highest-graded pass-rusher in FBS behind Joey Bosa.

"Calhoun has elite length and even though he's graded out as an average run defender in college, he has all the tools to excel in that area at the pro level," wrote Renner. "Calhoun may not be a freak athlete, but he still has attributes that you can’t teach."

Calhoun is a versatile end who is capable of lining up on either the left or right side and remaining effective. As a result, both of Alabama's offensive tackles, Cam Robinson and Dominick Jackson, will likely line up against him at various points in the Cotton Bowl.

Since he'll protect Jake Coker's blind side, Robinson will be the more important of the two linemen. Even though the Tide use a run-heavy offense, they can't have Calhoun regularly collapsing the pocket and applying pressure on the quarterback.

Michigan State QB Connor Cook vs. Alabama Secondary

LM Otero/Associated Press

Ohio State carved open the Alabama defense on the ground because it had Ezekiel Elliott, a dynamic running back capable of finding the end zone anytime he touched the ball.

Conversely, the longest run from a Michigan State running back this year went for 62 yards. LJ Scott, Gerald Holmes and Madre London have combined to fill the hole left by Jeremy Langford, but none of the three is the singularly electric presence Elliott was for the Buckeyes in last year's semifinals.

As a result, the Spartans will ride the right arm of Connor Cook whether he's 100 percent or not. ESPN's Alex Scarborough shared a picture of the senior QB, hinting he may still be feeling the effects of his shoulder injury:

"(The time off) did everything for me," Cook said, playing down any lingering effects, per USA Today's Dan Wolken. "When you have an injury, you can rehab it, ice it, do whatever, but rest is key. I was able to do that and didn’t really throw a whole lot. I went home and did some extra rehab, lifted a little bit and strengthened it and rested it. It’s the best it’s felt so far, that’s for sure."

Alabama possesses one of the best pass defenses in the country. The Tide are allowing 184.2 yards through the air (17th), while opposing quarterbacks average a 101.0 rating against the Tide (fifth). Football Outsiders ranks the SEC champions first in S&P+ pass defense rating.

Cook is one of the most polished passers in the country. Any chance of an upset win for Michigan State starts and ends with how effective he is through the air.