Who You Got?....Notre Dame vs Bama In The NC Tonight?

[foutsrouts]

As I don't have cable, and it is blacked out on ESPN3 except for in Nevada and the West Coast, I got nobody because I can't watch it. Thanks, ESPN for being such a douche network.

For what it's worth, www.thefirstrow.eu has got it scheduled.

[oldguystudent]

For what it's worth, www.thefirstrow.eu has got it scheduled.

Touche. Don't know why I didn't think of that. Oh, because I've never had to worry about the national championship game before! Seriously. Screw ESPN! They're going to ultimately send college football the way of professional boxing where if you're not Pacquiao, people have no freaking clue.

Also not a fan of this Monday night 3 months after New Year format, but that's just me. I'd rather drink beer and eat nachos while watching the game instead of juggling school lunches and homework.

[CurveItAround]

Touche. Don't know why I didn't think of that. Oh, because I've never had to worry about the national championship game before! Seriously. Screw ESPN! They're going to ultimately send college football the way of professional boxing where if you're not Pacquiao, people have no freaking clue.

Also not a fan of this Monday night 3 months after New Year format, but that's just me. I'd rather drink beer and eat nachos while watching the game instead of juggling school lunches and homework.

Try not to get those two mixed up tonight or the little one might have some splainin to do.

[CMJ]

I think Notre Dame has a better chance than Vegas gave them. It's gonna be a squeaker for Alabama.

[EagleMBA]

After I bleed Green, there are a couple drops of Blue and Gold that come out. Indoctrinated from childhood!

Nonetheless, I fear that Bama will win.

[H-towngreen]

Little did she know he was a virgin till he was 30, roll tide.

[casual fan]

Since Alabama is from the big bad SEC and ND is a huge underdog, I hope ND wins really big. However, if there were a true 16 team playoff system I would pick A&M. I'm not a big fan of any of them, but Little Johnny has me convinced.

[Marty]

Roll Tide!

[UNT Mean Green]

Roll Tide Roll!

[Side Show Joe]

Bama!

I don't like Norte Dame.

[Christopher Walker]

Irish by 3.

[Green P1]

The laugher is underway. Notre Dame is a joke of a National Championship contender.

[FirefightnRick]

The laugher is underway. Notre Dame is a joke of a National Championship contender.

Where ya carrying that crystal ball of yours these days? Amazing 21 point prediction you had there so far.

Rick

[KRAM1]

Looks like Notre Dame better get in touch with "Touchdown Jesus"...... So far they need help. This may just get ugly before the half.

[Green P1]

Where ya carrying that crystal ball of yours these days? Amazing 21 point prediction you had there so far.

Rick

I just wish I would have gone with my gut and said 36. Notre Dame had no business here.

[jtm0097]

Forrest Gump 28 Rudy 0

[golfingomez]

Good... god...in the past 6 qtrs of BCS Championship football, Alabama has out scored it's opponents 49-0... Only allowed 216 yards of offense, and held opponents to 3-of-19 on 3rd down attempts

[FirefightnRick]

Kapron Lewis Moore gets hurt too. This thing has turned into a complete disaster for ND. They can't tackle either worth a flip.

Way overrated.

Rick

[KRAM1]

Looks like Notre Dame better get in touch with "Touchdown Jesus"...... So far they need help. This may just get ugly before the half.

And...so it did! Tough night for the Irish. Too bad as it made the game a yawner...but, left no doubt in my mind that the right guy won the Heisman.

[JesseMartin]

Well, it was a 10-point overall difference from my initial 35-17 prediction, but the game looked almost exactly as I expected it to look.

As far as ND is concerned though, I totally understand why a lot of people favor them, even though they've become such a big part of institutionalized college sports. Rudy wasn't the only inspirational thing about them, for those who don't know...

About 100 years ago, you had a lot of Catholic immigrants coming to America, many of them Irish or Italian. When a Notre Dame game was being broadcast, these working stiff parents would gather their kids around the radio (and later, the TV) and listen and watch with their kids, to whom they would explain how, with hard work, they could be a part of something like that and no longer endure the negativity from their peers about being Catholic and being an immigrant family. So not only was Notre Dame a sort of "safe haven" for Catholics (mostly Irish) who attended, but it provided a special sense of community for families who were new to America. We don't see a whole lot of anti-Catholic sentiment nowadays, but back then it was very prevalent. As some of these kids fulfilled their dream of being a part of the school, while others simply grew up with a nostalgic sense of attachment and all of them passed it on to more recent generations, the Irish fan base grew into what it is today.

So, even though a part of me sees Notre Dame as another "evil empire" with a hold on the college sports world and a too-easy network for students and alums, I also see where their popularity came from, and appreciate that though they may appear to be something else now, they grew because they were the inspiration for generations of families that really needed something to believe in if they were to achieve the American dream they came here to follow. The overall history of what the school, and its sports, have done for so many people has earned my respect.