Alabama defensive lineman Quinton Dial (90) runs on the field with a Alabama flag after their 32-28 win in the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game against Georgia on Dec. 1 in Atlanta.If Notre Dame can be disliked nationally as much as the New York Yankees, and if the Southeastern Conference can be disliked nationally as much as the New York Yankees, how is this BCS championship game going to work?
Notre Dame and Alabama officially earned invitations Sunday to this season’s college football title showdown, which will be staged in Miami on Jan. 7. The Irish are historically stout but are seeking their first national crown since 1988, while the Crimson Tide rolled to championships under Bear Bryant and are doing the same under Nick Saban.
With Alabama hunting its third BCS title in four years and a seventh straight for the SEC, might Brian Kelly’s Irish actually be the adored team in this pairing?
“I think there is still a dividing line where it’s 50-50,” a laughing Kelly said Sunday night. “I was down in Atlanta yesterday, and the Georgia cheerleaders were booing me. We still have our following out there, and I think what’s really great about it — it’s college football. There is great pageantry and great passion.
“Alabama and all their fans will be in Miami, and Notre Dame will invade as well. I just think it’s great for college football to have both teams, but I don’t know if we’ve picked up any more fans along the way.”