Cotton Bowl 2015: Updated Odds and Comments for Alabama vs. Michigan State

The Cotton Bowl half of the 2015 College Football Playoff is about as "old school" a matchup as major college football can bring us these days. 

Both Michigan State and Alabama have developed reputations for looking like the great teams of yesteryear. The Spartans and the Crimson Tide can both hang their hats on their physicality and ability to play solid defense while depending on a running game to set up passing games that are capable of hurting teams downfield. 

On December 31, we get to find out which of the two teams is better at executing its brand of "big boy" football. Here's a look at the latest Vegas odds for the game from Odds Shark as well as the latest comments coming out about the game with two weeks left of preparation. 

Date	Time (ET)	TV	Matchup	Odds	Over/Under
Dec. 31	8 p.m.	ESPN	No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State	Alabama -9.5	47

Connor Cook Confident He Will Be Ready to Go

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State's hopes of winning this game rest—in large part—on the throwing shoulder of Connor Cook. 

Unfortunately, that's been a shoulder that hasn't been healthy. The Spartans signal-caller suffered a shoulder injury against Maryland and has shown effects of that injury in every game since, completing just 52 percent of his passes with three touchdowns to two interceptions in the final three games of the season. 

The good news for Michigan State is Cook feels the long time off between games will have him ready to go against the Tide. 

"For sure," Cook said when asked if he expected to be 100 percent, according to Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News. "From when I hurt it, I've been pretty limited in practice, and I'm pretty much in everything in practice now."

Cook getting time to work with his receivers and develop some chemistry heading into this game will be vital. Looking at the S&P+ metric from Football Outsiders, which takes into account play-by-play data to rate teams, the Spartans' only hope of moving the ball offensively will be through the air. 

	Rush	Pass
MSU Off.	98	30
Alabama Def.	1	1

Alabama is well-aware that Cook can pose some problems for the defense as well. According to John Talty of AL.com, Saban considers the Spartans quarterback to be the best his team has seen all season. 

There's definitely some validity to that claim. Cook is Matt Miller's most pro-ready quarterback in the draft class, and he's thrown 24 touchdowns to just five interceptions on the season.

If the Spartans are going to upset the heavily favored Crimson Tide, it's going to be on the strength of Cook's arm. The fact it might be healthy for the first time in more than a month is a great sign for head coach Mark Dantonio and Co. 

Kirby Smart Balancing Defensive Coordinator and Head Coaching Duties

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Crimson Tide's defense is undoubtedly among the most daunting in college football. Kirby Smart is a large reason for that. The new Georgia head coach has been coordinating the unit since 2008. 

While Nick Saban is himself a defensive coach, Smart is still a major player in preparing the defense to execute a game plan that generally shuts down opposing offenses. 

In a strange situation, Smart has decided to stick around and coordinate Bama's defense in the playoffs despite his status as Georgia's new head football coach. The obvious conflict is that as the new head coach at Georgia, Smart needs to recruit for his new school. 

Spending time coordinating the Alabama defense certainly takes from that. 

However, Smart insists he has time to do both, according to an interview he gave on The Paul Finebaum Show:

"

The aspect of going back to Alabama and coaching, I think once I get back in that venue and back over there getting ready for the game, you've got to be able to wear two hats. You've got to be the defensive coordinator at Alabama, but there's got to be time set aside each day that I commit to recruiting and staff (building) over (at Georgia).

"

Smart might insist he's capable of balancing both responsibilities, but it's fair to ask the question—can he really do a good job with both roles at the same time?

There are only so many hours in a day. The amount of time it takes to aid in creating a defensive game plan and putting players in position to execute that game plan is vast. There's a reason Smart was a hot commodity in coaching searches. 

Will the Tide suffer from Smart having two allegiances?

The answer is no, according to ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough, citing Saban's defensive background:

"

I think the distraction begins and ends with him. If Saban weren't a defensive-oriented coach, this would be different. But this is Saban's defense and he's as hands-on a coach as you'll find. He already is a part of defensive staff meetings, so he'll just speak up more. Smart's return to campus next week will solve two simple, essentially logistical problems: who calls the plays and who works with linebackers during drills.

"

It's hard to argue Scarborough's points. Even though Smart deserves plenty of credit for what he's done at Alabama, Saban has his own reputation as a defensive wizard. Losing Smart isn't going to change that. 

Retaining Smart simply ensures that the way Alabama's sideline has operated on game days will remain the same. Continuity within a season is a huge boon for the chances of the Tide to continue to play the way they have all season. 

Even though Smart pulling double duty is an interesting footnote to this game, it won't ultimately affect the outcome. Alabama is still going to play great defense and force Cook to attempt to keep his team in the game single-handedly. 

Prediction: Alabama 28, Michigan State 17