Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr.: 'I Feel Like We're the Underdog' vs. Cincinnati in CFP

Despite playing in the College Football Playoff for the seventh time in eight years, the Alabama football team has a chip on its shoulder.

The No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide are set to face fourth-seeded Cincinnati in the semifinals at the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31. Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. told reporters Monday that he feels his team is the underdog in the game.

Anderson added: "We love it. It just fuels us up even more. We know what type of team we have."

But Alabama isn't viewed as the underdog in the eyes of the public. The Crimson Tide enter the game as a 13.5-point favorite, per DraftKings Sportsbook. In a contrast to Anderson, the Bearcats are not using the underdog label as extra motivation.

"Not worried about the kind of focus being on us," junior offensive lineman Dylan O'Quinn said, per ESPN's Chris Low. "We've heard a lot about this David versus Goliath talk, but the fact of the matter is everybody puts their pants on the same way. Everybody plays football, so we just want to go out and be us."

Cincinnati went 13-0 this year and is the first Group of Five team to make the playoff. The Bearcats have won 23 of their last 24 games dating to the end of the 2019 season. Their only loss in that span was to Georgia on a last-second field goal in the Peach Bowl to end the 2020 season.

Alabama had a 12-1 record with its lone setback coming against Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide have won their last seven games, including a dominant 41-24 victory over Georgia in the SEC championship.