Cotton Bowl 2015: Underrated Stars to Watch, Picks in Michigan State vs. Alabama

Michigan State and Alabama earned their spots in the College Football Playoff with some clutch efforts down the stretch. The Cotton Bowl counterparts both found themselves on the edge of elimination before picking up some marquee victories to fight back into the top four.

The Spartans edged Ohio State and Iowa after an early November loss to Nebraska. The Crimson Tide were on the brink for even longer. They dropped their third game to Ole Miss and then responded with five wins over ranked opponents the rest of the way.

Now the teams will square off for a berth in the national title game. Let's check out all of the important information for the clash, followed by a closer look at some players to watch and a game prediction.

Cotton Bowl Details

Where: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

When: Thursday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Underrated Players to Watch

Michigan State: WR R.J. Shelton

Shelton is the most versatile weapon on the Spartans offense. He ranks third in receiving yards and fourth in rushing yards. He'll surely be moved around the formation quite a bit to give the Alabama defense some unique looks on New Year's Eve.

The Tide have surely poured a lot of time and effort into figuring out ways to slow down Aaron Burbridge. Connor Cook's favorite target enters the playoffs with 80 grabs for over 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns. Preventing him from taking over the game is paramount.

'Bama will probably shift extra defenders in that direction. It could also mean Michigan State designs some plays to get Shelton into space on the opposite side. Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press noted the junior playmaker understands the challenge that lies ahead.

"Their secondary is good, their (front seven) is unreal," Shelton said. "They're substituting 10 D-linemen, which is unreal."

Shelton is not a high-volume player. He's probably only going to get around five touches on offense and perhaps a few on special teams. But he's the type of player that can change the complexion of the game by turning a few of those into big plays against a strong defense.

Alabama: DB Eddie Jackson

The Crimson Tide gave up 43 points in that aforementioned loss to Ole Miss early in the season. Ranked teams only averaged 14 points against them from that point forward. The improved play on defense is what truly sparked the run into the playoffs.

Jackson is a major part of that success. The converted cornerback is now an eraser at safety. He's racked up 40 total tackles, seven passes defended, five interceptions and three tackles for loss. That wide-ranging impact makes him one of the team's most valuable players.

Asking him, along with fellow corner Geno Matias-Smith, to make the change to safety came with risk. It's not an easy switch because the amount of responsibly skyrockets. It's something he talked about with Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com.

"Being from corner, you just worry about your man," Jackson said. "Being a safety, you have to make calls for the whole secondary, linebackers and make sure we're in formation and all the shifts and changes. We just had to focus in because you're playing a big role, like a quarterback on defense."

The decision could have backfired. Instead, the Crimson Tide now have two safeties covering a lot of ground and making up for errors elsewhere on defense. Expect Jackson to make his presence felt early and often against the Spartans.

Game Prediction

The only guarantee when the whistle finally blows to start Michigan State against Alabama is that it's going to be a physical battle. Winning at the line of scrimmage is going to set the tone.

Josh Slagter of MLive Sports spotlighted the battle between Alabama's rushing attack, led by Derrick Henry, and Michigan State's formidable front:

So it's a game that should appeal to old-school fans. As for who's going to win, the numbers favor the Crimson Tide. They are sizable 9.5-point favorites (via Odds Shark) and FiveThirtyEight gives them a 68 percent chance to advance to the title game.

It likely won't be as easy as that makes it sound, though. Expect a four-quarter grind that isn't decided until the final minutes. The Spartans have enough playmakers to pull off the upset, but the Tide are the better overall team and should find a way to win a one-score game.

Pick: Alabama 28, Michigan State 20