2021 Cotton Bowl Classic

The 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2021, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The 86th edition of the Cotton Bowl Classic and the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal games, the game featured two of the four teams selected by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee- the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide from the Southeastern Conference and the No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats from the American Athletic Conference; the latter becoming the first Group of Five team to appear in a College Football Playoff, and the season's last major undefeated team in the FBS. The winner advanced to face the winner of the Orange Bowl at the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, which is at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The game began at 2:30 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. The game was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the game was officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.