Discover BCS National Championship Game-Notre Dame vs. Alabama

Discover BCS National Championship Game (Miami, Fla. – Monday, January 7, 2013)
Notre Dame vs. Alabama – 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Two of the most storied programs in college football history will square off for the national championship when undefeated and top-ranked Notre Dame collides with No. 2 and reigning champion Alabama on Jan. 7 at Miami's Sun Life Stadium. Despite its unrivaled tradition, Notre Dame has not won a national title since 1988 and has not been atop the rankings since 1993. Alabama, meanwhile, will be chasing its third national championship in the past four years under Nick Saban, who has restored the luster to one of the few programs that can stand up to Notre Dame's legacy. The teams have met six times, with the Fighting Irish winning five.

The 2012 National Champion Crimson Tide are back in the BCS title game. An upset loss against Texas A&M almost prevented Alabama from making the game but their tough SEC schedule and dominant defense helped them earn their spot. The Alabama defense held four opponents scoreless while only allowing two teams over 14 points. The one lapse of the year was against Texas A&M where they allowed over 400 yards of offense and 29 points. The Crimson Tide will be happy to match muscle vs. muscle with Notre Dame's defense behind a powerhouse offensive line that averages 315 pounds per man. Alabama has a pair of 1,000-yard backs in junior Eddie Lacy and freshman T.J. Yeldon, who combined for 27 touchdowns and piled up 334 yards in the SEC title game win over Georgia. Quarterback AJ McCarron threw for 26 touchdowns against only three interceptions and showed he was much more than a caretaker of the offense by leading late drives to beat LSU and Georgia. His top weapon is Amari Cooper, who has 53 receptions and nine touchdowns. Notre Dame's defense has been getting all the publicity, but the Crimson Tide have their own elite linebacker in C.J. Mosley and held 10 opponents to less than 14 points while recording four shutouts.Alabama's recent experience on the biggest stage cannot be overlook. Never was that more apparent than in last season's BCS championship game, when the Crimson Tide avenged their only regular season loss with a dominating defensive effort in a 21-0 victory over LSU. And while Notre Dame always plays a schedule dotted with top programs, Alabama is part of college football's best conference in the SEC, which, by the way, has won all six BCS title games since its inception in 2006.

Although they did not enter the season as a contender for a national championship, Notre Dame earned a spot in the game through their tough play and going undefeated despite a very tough schedule. Their undefeated season included wins against Michigan, Michigan State, University of Miami, Stanford, Oklahoma, and USC. They now will face their toughest opponent by far in Alabama. The Fighting Irish have been utilizing the no-respect card as a motivator throughout the season, and the oddsmakers provided them with more fuel by installing the one-loss Crimson Tide as a 10-point favorite. Notre Dame played perhaps its best game in a 30-13 rout at Oklahoma on Oct. 27 - another contest in which it was a huge underdog and the consensus was that the Irish could not compete. Te'o, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, is the heart and soul of a defense that permitted only nine touchdowns overall and two on the ground. He has seven interceptions and played behind a stellar defensive front featuring ends Stephon Tuitt (12 sacks) and Kapron Lewis-Moore sandwiching the massive Louis Nix III. Notre Dame's running back corps of Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood and George Atkinson III combined for 2,000 yards and will test a defense that allowed a national-low 246 yards. Still, Notre Dame's offense revolves around dual-threat quarterback Everett Golson. He threw for 11 touchdowns against five interceptions and had four of of his five-highest passing totals in November. Golson also rushed for 305 yards and five scores and his ability to keep the chains moving against Alabama's defense will be vital.


Notre Dame will come out and play for 3 quarters, maybe even lead for awhile. I live in and write about SEC country, so maybe I am somewhat biased, but I can't see the Irish winning this game. The close wins and a less than impressive schedule have me a little worried for Notre Dame, the fans will point to wins against Michigan, Michigan State, University of Miami, Stanford, Oklahoma, and USC. I do think OU and Stanford were great wins, but the rest were not that impressive as the season unfolded. I think that Notre Dame could pull this off, but their margin of error is almost zero. I'm gonna say 21-17 Alabama wins.

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