Cotton Bowl Odds, Trends & Betting History

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is a yearly college football game, often referred to as simply the Cotton Bowl. This year’s Cotton Bowl will occur on December 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET and features a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide and the No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats.

Odds Shark is here to ensure you have everything you need to bet on this bowl game from Cotton Bowl odds to handicapping info and historical wagering data so you can make smart Cincinnati vs Alabama picks.

For a complete statistical breakdown of the Cotton Bowl odds, see our Cincinnati vs Alabama Matchup Report, or you can check out our College Football Bowl Schedule for all NCAAF games this winter.

2021 Cotton Bowl Odds

When Cincinnati takes on Alabama in the 2021 Cotton Bowl, oddsmakers are giving Alabama a 13.5-point spread to cover and setting the total around 58.0 points.

2021 Cotton Bowl Betting Trends:

• Cincinnati is 13-7 ATS over its last 20 games.
• Alabama is 13-0 SU in its last 13 December games.
• The UNDER is 5-2 in Cincinnati’s last 7 games.

Betting History Of The Cotton Bowl

The inaugural Cotton Bowl was played at the Texas State Fair Grounds in Texas on January 1, 1937, between TCU and Marquette. This bowl was the brainchild of J. Curtis Sanford, a Dallas oilman.

The oilman attended the 1936 Rose Bowl featuring SMU and Stanford and decided his city should have a game like that. He paid for the bowl out of his own pocket, probably with the change he found in his sofa since oil barons make major bank. The Horned Frogs beat the Golden Avalanche 16-6. After 1960, the Marquette football department changed its name to the Golden Eagles, perhaps because birds are more intimidating than weather phenomena.

In 2010, the game moved from Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas to AT&T Stadium in Arlington – where the Cowboys play! In 1941, the bowl began an affiliation to take the champion of the Southwest Conference (SWC). The Big 12 had a brief stint as an affiliate from 1997 to 2013.

Upon the death of the BCS prior to the 2014 NCAA football season, the Cotton Bowl became a member of the New Year’s Six and hosted a College Football Playoff semifinal between Alabama and Michigan State following the 2015 season. The game ended in a 38-0 blowout for the Crimson Tide.

Memorable Cotton Bowl Moments

Many of the more memorable Cotton Bowls starred Notre Dame. In the January 1, 1970 edition, No. 1 Texas beat the No. 9 Irish. Even though they were quarterbacked by Joe Theismann, the Irish lost to the Longhorns. He would be fine and go on to play in the NFL and CFL, and own Theismann’s Restaurant and Bar, a restaurant and bar.

In 1978, a fifth-ranked Irish team, this time helmed by the other famous Joe (Montana), routed No. 1 Texas and Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell 38-10, giving Notre Dame a national title. The next year, the legend of Montana – the QB, not the state – was truly born. Joe led the team back from a 34-12 fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Longhorns 35-34.

The favorite covered in five of the seven Cotton Bowls from 2010 to 2016. Alabama’s 10.5-point spread over Michigan State in the 2015 game is tied for the largest number this century.

In the 2020 Cotton Bowl, Kyle Trask and the Florida Gators were embarassed by Spencer Rattler’s Oklahoma Sooners. Entering the Cotton Bowl as 3-point favorites, the Sooners ended up beating Florida by 35 points in a 55-20 victory.

Cotton Bowl Bites

• The Cotton Bowl has seen appearances by top-rated head coaches Bear Bryant (Kentucky), Darrell Royal (Texas) and Ara Parseghian (Notre Dame).

• The 1947 iteration was referred to as the Ice Bowl since it was very cold that day and neither LSU nor Arkansas was able to put up any points. The final score was 0-0. Sorry to anyone who bet on that game.

• Texas has the most appearances with 22 (11-10-1). Baylor has only three appearances and lost each one (0-3). Way harsh.

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How To Bet On Cotton Bowl Odds

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time bettor, you have the opportunity to make some cash betting on Cotton Bowl odds. These are the bets we recommend making:

• A moneyline bet requires you to pick a winner 

• An OVER/UNDER or totals bet involves gambling on the total combined score from both teams and deciding if it will be OVER or UNDER a certain amount

• Point spread betting is a wager placed on whether the favorite or the underdog will win or lose by a set number of points

• Props are bets made on individual players (how many rushing yards will a certain player have, how many sacks will another player have, etc.), and things like which team will win the coin toss

• Parlays give you the chance to bundle two or more bets on one betting slip

• Go to our How To Bet On College Football page for more information on Cotton Bowl betting odds