Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Alabama Crimson Tide:Early Look at the BCS Title Game
November 24, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te
Well, this is a place I didn’t think I’d honestly see Notre Dame anytime soon. The BCS Title game is now just a month away, and we’re prepping not for a rematch of any SEC powers, but for the biggest game in years for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
That’s right, Notre Dame is playing for a national title and there’s nothing we can do about it. Although, that might not be a bad thing. As much as Notre Dame is a “love em or hate em” type of team, I think it’s good for the game of college football to see them return to prominence. There’s just an added element to the fun of college football when Notre Dame has a good football team, and I’m not quite sure what it is. Maybe it’s their storied history, or maybe it’s just the fact that for the last few years, nobody can do anything but talk bad about Notre Dame.
Either way, they face a really tough task ahead with the Alabama Crimson Tide, who spent a lot of time this season as the number one team in the country. ‘Bama is loaded with top prospects, including a variety of potential first round picks yet again this year.
The cool thing about this game is that it appears Notre Dame also has its fair share of top tier NFL prospects, including arguably the best player in the entire country–linebacker Manti Te’o.
Te’o is going to have his hands full trying to run down guys like Eddie Lacy, T.J. Yeldon, and Amari Cooper, but I think that the slow pace of Alabama’s offensive attack plays well with what Notre Dame likes to do defensively, and what they like to do offensively as well. The Irish are capable of hitting big plays, but they’d rather this game be a 13-10 finish than anything else. That’s just their style this season.
Offensively, I think a difference maker could and should be tight end Tyler Eifert for the Irish. Eifert is one of the best tight ends in the country, and he’s going up against some really good defensive backs on the Crimson Tide.
For an early look at the top prospects for both teams, check out our team pages: