When Cincinnati got its shot to take on a heavyweight, facing Alabama in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the Bearcats' star corners, Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and Coby Bryant, were eager to prove they could match up against the Tide's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Bryce Young, and wide receiver Jameson Williams, considered the top NFL draft prospect at the position in college football.
So eager, in fact, that the Bearcats won the coin toss and elected to defer, allowing Alabama to take the ball first.
Very quickly, things went awry as Cincinnati learned a lesson.