Brian Dawes, of Decatur, Ala., makes his way to Sun Life Stadium before the BCS National Championship college football game between Alabama and Notre Dame in Miami.
Bowl Championship Series 2013FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Tonight’s BCS championship between No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama will be a familiar stage for Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban.
It’s not the first title pairing for Fighting Irish counterpart Brian Kelly, either.
Kelly, who has Notre Dame in position to win its first national crown since 1988, coached Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich., to NCAA Division II championships in 2002 and ’03. Grand Valley State won its titles in Florence, Ala.
“There is such a lead-up for this one with all of the media attention,” Kelly said Sunday at the final pregame news conference at the Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. “At Grand Valley State, we were staying at the Best Western. I don’t know that anybody knew where we were.
“It was just another game. It was the championship game, but it certainly doesn’t have the same kind of feel.”