ARLINGTON, Texas – The No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats (13-0, 8-0 American Athletic Conference) concluded game week preparations for the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 86th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Thursday with a final practice at AT&T Stadium. The Bearcats take on the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) on Friday afternoon.

Thursday's session put the final touches on the game plan for the Bearcats. It was the final day of events and preparation for Friday's game, and it began with Head Coach Luke Fickell joining Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban for the Head Coach Press Conference via Zoom beginning at 8 a.m. followed by Fickell joining the Goodyear Big Play Brunch by Zoom at 9:35 a.m. before the Bearcats' final practice at AT&T Stadium that began at 11:30 a.m.

"Well, the last 30 or so hours are the longest time, I think, in all that we do, I know for us and for me," Fickell said. "So we're right here on the cusp of kind of finishing up the preparations and we're excited about tomorrow. And it's been a long time coming. That's the unique thing about having three and a half weeks or so. Not just to prepare but to kind of get everything ready for this incredible opportunity that our guys have given us is finally coming to that point.

"And I know our guys are excited. I know our guys have been preparing and thinking about this for quite a while and are really, really excited about this challenge. So from all of us, I think that it's close to that talk being over and about time for us to go back out there and do what it is that we love to do. And I think everybody in this program is really excited about what's to come tomorrow."

Fickell, who is 54-21 (.720) overall as Cincinnati's head coach, won almost every national Coach of the Year honor in 2021, taking home The Home Depot National Coach of the Year, the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and The Sporting News Coach of the Year among several honors.

Fickell was Ohio State's defensive coordinator when the No. 4-ranked Buckeyes defeated No. 1

Alabama, 42-35, in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl to cap the 2014 season – the CFP's first year. Led by Fickell's defense, OSU shut down No. 2 Oregon to win the first CFP National Championship, 42-20, held at AT&T Stadium. Fickell also won a national championship as part of Ohio State's staff in 2002.

The 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 86th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Friday, Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m. CST on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Kickoff is slated for 2:40 p.m.

This year's Classic is a part of the ESPN bowl lineup for the eighth straight year. Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge are set to the call the action from the booth with Molly McGrath and Laura Rutledge reporting from the sidelines.

ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the eighth consecutive year with Sean Kelley and Barrett Jones in the booth and Ian Fitzsimmons on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.

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