This is only the fourth time that Notre Dame has made it to a BCS bowl game and the first time that Notre Dame has played for the BCS National Championship. All season long, the NCAA football betting experts have been waiting for that week when Notre Dame loses big and falls out of contention for the top spot in the country. But Notre Dame made all the way through its 12-game season without a loss, and that put the Irish on the top of the college football heap. But is Notre Dame really the best team in the country? Most online sportsbook experts would suggest that the two best teams did make it to the BCS Title Game, but the best team is not wearing the number one ranking.
The only reason Alabama was knocked down to the number two ranking was its loss to Texas A&M. The strange thing about that loss is that the bookmaker betting software almost saw it coming. The week leading up to the Texas A&M and Alabama game saw plenty of press preparing the Crimson Tide fans for the first loss of the season. When it finally happened, there was a large contingency of fans and sports writers that pleaded to keep Alabama as the number one team in the country. But when Notre Dame finished 12-0 and Alabama finished 11-1, the BCS had no choice in its rankings.
The BCS National Championship game should be an exciting game to watch. There is no defense in the country better than the Notre Dame defense and the Alabama offense is one of the most prolific in all of football. The betonline experts have the Fighting Irish as the underdog, which is a position Notre Dame has been put in all season long.
The Irish is also working against history. In the last 10 BCS Championship Games, the second-ranked team has won seven times. It is almost the kiss of death to enter the big game with the top tag on your football team. But Notre Dame has the defensive tools to keep Alabama at bay. The only question is whether or not an unpredictable Notre Dame offense can put up enough points to win.
The big factor in this game will be Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron. He has been tearing up defenses all season long, but he has never faced a defense like the one he will see from the Irish. Notre Dame’s defense runs fast and hits hard, and McCarron will feel the pressure from the Notre Dame pass rush. But McCarron is so cool in the pocket that he should be able to handle the pressure and deliver the ball just fine.
In the end, this game will be one to remember simply because it was Notre Dame’s first BCS title shot. Notre Dame does not enter this game as the best team, even though it wears the top ranking in the country. That will show when the game is over.
Read more about Notre Dame and its climb to the top ranking in college football.
Pick: Alabama
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