Alabama Crimson Tide
Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell watches his team warm up before the Cotton Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game against Alabama, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
DB Hill starts Orange Bowl for Michigan after late arrival

Stephen Hawkins Dec. 31, 2021 04:54 PM EST

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh speaks during a coaches luncheon ahead of the Orange Bowl NCAA college football game, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, in Miami. Michigan will play Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Friday, Dec. 31. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Avoiding coronavirus part of quieter bowl week for CFP teams

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 31, 2021 02:32 AM EST

AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead

By The Associated Press Dec. 30, 2021 04:06 PM EST
Dec. 31 1961 — Paul Hornung, on leave from the Army, scores 19 points to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 37-0 win over the New York Giants for their...

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, and Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart speak during a coaches luncheon ahead of the Orange Bowl NCAA college football game, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, in Miami. Michigan will play Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Friday, Dec. 31. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Before Harbaugh, Smart play Orange Bowl they shared birthday

By Tim Reynolds Dec. 30, 2021 03:18 PM EST

FILE - Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) looks to pass from the pocket during the first half of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Houston Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Cincinnati. The fourth-ranked Bearcats (13-0) get their shot in the CFP semifinal Cotton Bowl on Friday, Dec. 31 against No. 1 defending national champion Alabama. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)
Non-P5 Cincy takes CFP journey to Cotton semi against Bama

By Stephen Hawkins Dec. 30, 2021 02:38 PM EST

FILE - Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson rushers against Maryland during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in College Park, Md. Hutchinson was selected to The Associated Press All-Big Ten team in results released Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Surprising Michigan takes run at Georgia's dominant D in CFP

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 30, 2021 02:28 PM EST

FILE - Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) warms up as offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, left, watches before an NCAA college football game against Florida, on Sept. 18, 2021, in Gainesville, Fla. Young views the Heisman Trophy as about what he and Alabama have already done, not what the top-ranked Crimson Tide are still trying to accomplish in his first season as their starting quarterback. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
No. 1 Alabama faces upstart Bearcats in Cotton Bowl CFP semi

By The Associated Press Dec. 30, 2021 12:18 PM EST

Heisman Trophy finalist Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson speaks during a news conference before attending the Heisman Trophy award ceremony, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Hutchinson, on and off field, leads Michigan to CFP semis

By Tim Reynolds Dec. 30, 2021 02:26 AM EST

Alabama head coach Nick Saban speaks to players during the first half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Tide's Robinson ready to ramp up run game against Cincinnati

By Eric Olson Dec. 30, 2021 02:26 AM EST

FILE - Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner (1) celebrates an interception of a Murray State pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game Sept. 11, 2021, in Cincinnati. Gardner, an Associated Press All-American who hasn't given up a touchdown in his college career, still has to declare for the draft. But he generally projects higher than any of his teammates, so that decision seems clear. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)
Cincinnati showcases names to keep in mind for NFL draft

By Schuyler Dixon Dec. 30, 2021 02:05 AM EST

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (left) and offensive lineman Xavier Truss walk to team practice for the Orange Bowl at Barry University on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami Shores, Fla. Georgia plays Michigan at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., in the Orange Bowl CFP Semifinal. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Smart: Stetson to start at QB; Daniels health still unclear

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 29, 2021 06:06 PM EST

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young holds the Heisman Trophy at an award ceremony, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in New York. (Todd Van Emst/Heisman Trust via AP, Pool)
Young says Heisman reflects past as Bama seeks another title

By Stephen Hawkins Dec. 29, 2021 04:06 PM EST

FILE - Cincinnati tight end Josh Whyle makes a catch against South Florida during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. College teams haven't quite unlocked the full potential of the position as effectively as the pros, but Friday, Dec. 31 College Football Playoff with No. 1 Alabama facing No. 4 Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl will put players with potential to be part of the next wave of dominate tight ends on display. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
Tight ends take center stage in College Football Playoff

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 29, 2021 02:17 PM EST

Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner (1) reacts after sacking Houston quarterback Clayton Tune during the first half of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Special 'Sauce': Bearcats' lockdown CB faces biggest test

By Eric Olson Dec. 29, 2021 02:06 PM EST

Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III (8) misses the catch against Georgia during the first half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Alabama turning to Brooks, others to fill Metchie's void

By John Zenor Dec. 29, 2021 01:15 PM EST

FILE - Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) signs autographs for fans after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Houston. Taylor was among the athletes who either won or lost the most money for sports bettors in 2021, according to several national sports books. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans 12/5/2021

Dec. 29, 2021 05:29 AM EST

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (7) before an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. Fournette was among the athletes who either won or lost the most money for sports bettors in 2021, according to several national sports books. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken, File)
These players won (and lost) sports bettors the most in 2021

By Wayne Parry Dec. 29, 2021 05:27 AM EST

FILE - Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald watches against Northern Illinois in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh leaned on advice from his brother, Baltimore Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh, when he hired Mike Macdonald to be the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Ties that bind: Some in CFP will face their former schools

By Tim Reynolds Dec. 29, 2021 05:07 AM EST

FILE -Mississippi State cornerback Martin Emerson, left, tackles Georgia wide receiver George Pickens during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, in Athens, Ga. Georgia wide receiver George Pickens still has a chance to be a major contributor for the Bulldogs this season. The junior who was expected to be third-ranked Georgia's go-to receiver before he tore the ACL in his right knee during spring practice will be available Friday, Dec. 31, 2021 for the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl against No. 2 Michigan. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
After knee injury, Georgia WR Pickens ready for Orange Bowl

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 28, 2021 06:16 PM EST

FILE - Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford (24) carries the ball as he breaks a tackle against UCF linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, in Cincinnati. For Cincinnati (13-0), a member of the second-tier American Athletic Conference, the planets aligned. The Bearcats landed as the No. 4 seed in the CFP, invading the domain of college football's blue bloods. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)
Bearcats RB Jerome Ford sheds 'the Alabama transfer' label

By Stephen Hawkins Dec. 28, 2021 04:50 PM EST