BCS Title Game

BCS Title Game

      It's finally here! Alabama vs Notre Dame. It should be an exciting game. Who will win? Who has the biggest advantages? Will the SEC make it SEVEN straight, and if so, does that make them the best conference in all of college football? Perhaps the most 'under the radar' topic could be Nick Saban's future; will he stay or will he give it another run in the NFL? Let's not get too far ahead here..... Let's talk BCS Title Game first.

 

       The Irish are coming off an amazing season. Before the season started ESPN, and really everyone in college football, talked about how Notre Dame had the toughest schedule this season. There was no question about it. Of course nobody saw USC having the struggles they had, nobody saw Michigan struggling, but in the end who cares? Notre Dame still played one of the toughest schedules this season. Factor in where they played some of their toughest games and that makes it even tougher. Playing at USC is never easy. Playing and winning at Oklahoma is no joke. Taking down a Stanford team that came out of nowhere and dominated the PAC12 wasn't easy. The Irish have done everything asked of them this season. Sure they had the nightmare against Pitt, but every team has that one or two games that they escape with a win if it's meant to be..... Think Alabama vs LSU this season. LSU had Bama by their throats but LSU couldn't finish. Pitt is no LSU, but again, it's one of those games you could call a trap game and the point is that Notre Dame overcame it and has played great since then.

 

     Alabama has had an interesting but exciting season. The opening win over Michigan had Bama fans stoked for another chance at a BCS Title. The legend grew even more while the Crimson Tide rolled over teams like Western Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida Atlantic, and Ole Miss......literally in that order. Many teams would look like a National Title Contender after playing through the first five games of Alabama's schedule. However, the schedule did get slightly tougher down the stretch. LSU had their chance, but Bama did what a good team was supposed to do in that situation.....they overcame it and pulled out the win. The very next week Texas A&M came into Bama's house and shocked the country. Maybe it was exactly what Bama needed to get them focused again. Or it's just a fact that a Big 12 team came into the SEC and showed the nation that the SEC is not all it's hyped to be this year. Who knows? That's what makes tonight so exciting. This could put all the debate to rest or it could stir it all up again....

 

     So who has the biggest advantage in this game? Is it Alabama because they have the so called 'SEC Strength and Speed?' Or is it the Irish because of their amazing rush defense? Are there other advantages for either team not getting any attention? I can think of at least one that I have not heard anyone talk about in the weeks leading up to today..... Notre Dame has one major advantage that I think will play a major role in tonight's game. They have done something that nobody has done in decades. The Irish have sampled many of the most talented teams across the country and came out with ZERO losses. They sampled teams from the Big Ten, the Big 12, the ACC, and the PAC12. Notre Dame has seen every type of offense and defense you could imagine. Obviously the media and fans would have you believe that Alabama is a different animal but I think Bama is not that much different as far as who the Irish have played. Bama is a mixture of several teams the Irish have beaten this season.

 

    So what about Bama? What's their advantage? It's simple and very obvious if you aske me. Coaching. No other advantage holds the weight that this one does. Nick Saban is a mastermind in present day college football. He will gameplan like no other coach. If this game was played 3 weeks ago I wouldn't say it is as big of an advantage, but the fact is that Saban has had a month to prepare for this game (that should scare anyone and everyone). It would not surprise me in the least if Bama came in and shut the Irish down. Now, don't get me wrong, I want an interesting game. I don't want to feel like I am watching last year's BCS game all over again. That game was about as boring as watching 'Gone with the Wind' (or if you liked that movie, insert your own boring movie).

 

     Now for the prediction. Who do you go with? The Irish? (with their schedule and experience as their advantage) OR the Crimson Tide? (with Nick Saban at the controls in a BIG GAME) Wow it's hard to pick against Saban. On the other side of it, I have picked against the Irish two times this season and I was way wrong in both games. I said I learned my lesson earlier this season and that I wouldn't do it again......but who knew I would have to decide between these two for a National Champion. Does the luck of the Irish end tonight? We'll see, but I am going to try my luck with them tonight. I like the Irish by the score of......27-23. There may be a few fieldgoals kicked in this one.