A look at the University of Cincinnati's opponent in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

McCarron, coached by Nick Saban, led Alabama to back-to-back BCS National Championship titles in 2011 and 2012. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent seven years in the league, appearing in 19 games with four starts. He last took the field in the NFL for the Bengals in 2023.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Former University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, who helped lead the team to back-to-back national championships, announced Thursday that he running for lieutenant governor of Alabama.

Kadyn Proctor blocks, catches and runs for Alabama football. What about basketball, track and baseball? Inside his athletic past as a do-it-all athlete.

Former Alabama national championship-winning quarterback AJ McCarron on Thursday announced he is running for lieutenant governor in 2026. The Mobile native and former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback had also reportedly been considering whether to run for U.

Case in point, as revealed by The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., the Bengals have missed 47 tackles over their last four games alone. Not only that, the Bengals have never allowed more points per game or drive over the first seven games, ever.