COUNTDOWN TO SHOWDOWN
In the 25 days leading up to college football’s championship game between No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, the Chattanooga Times Free Press is counting down the traditions and memorable moments involving the Irish and the Crimson Tide. Today is No. 25:
Alabama and Notre Dame have each won eight Associated Press national championships in college football, and the Irish enter their BCS title matchup Jan. 7 with the slightly higher all-time win percentage.
Yet their bowl-game history is very different.
While the Crimson Tide will be making their NCAA-record 60th all-time bowl appearance in Miami, it will be just the 32nd bowl for the Irish. Eight Southeastern Conference schools have taken more postseason trips than Notre Dame.
The reason for Notre Dame’s relatively low number of bowls is due to university policy that was implemented following the Irish’s 27-10 win over Stanford in the Rose Bowl after the 1924 season. University officials announced a revision of that policy in November 1969, and several weeks later, Notre Dame dropped a 21-17 decision to Texas in the Cotton Bowl.