No. 2 Alabama will face No. 3 Michigan State in the College Football Playoff semifinal Dec. 31 in Dallas.

Former Georgia defensive end David Pollack, an analyst at ESPN, said it’s an ideal position for the Spartans, who opened as a 9-point underdog.

Pollack noted the Spartans’ 6-1 record against top 10 teams the past three seasons as evidence they relish that underdog role.

“It works perfect for Michigan State,” Pollack said. “It’s how they function best. This is what they’ve done in big games.”

After weeks of Twitter angst in relation to the rankings, the lack of drama about the final four spun the reaction forward, allowing fans and analysts to focus on the matchups and story lines.

Alabama coach Nick Saban discussed the Spartans in an interview with ESPN.

Saban said he hasn’t seen much of the Spartans this season, but he noticed how their playoff-clinching touchdown drive to beat Iowa.

“I saw that last drive, 22 plays last night,” Saban said. “That was enough for me to see. Won the game, won the Big Ten championship. We know what kind of physical tough teams they have at Michigan State.”