When it comes to predictions, our friends over at P101 have been satisfying your pregame hunger for the past several months.
But, tonight is the BCS championship, so we’ve decided to break out our own predictions for what we think will happen between top-ranked Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama. As you’ll read below, John, Keith Arnold over at Inside the Irish and I have picked our winner, the score and what we feel will be the key(s) to the game.
We also have a nifty poll so you can make your opinion heard as well.
So, let’s get to it.
John’s pick: Alabama 24, Notre Dame 20
Vegas sees the defending BCS champions as a 9.5-point favorite. I see a game that’s much, much closer, with both defenses taking turns shutting down the opposing offense until AJ McCarron leads Alabama on a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter to seal the Tide’s unprecedented third BCS title in four years and deny Notre Dame its first since 1988. An Irish win, though, wouldn’t be as shocking as some would like to believe.
Ben’s pick: Notre Dame 26, Alabama 24
Back when I released our preseason conference guesses projections, I said confidently that I would not pick against Alabama again for the rest of the season. However, in the immortal words of Lee Corso, “Ah, f--- it.” I’m reversing field and going with the Irish.
Why the upset? It all starts in the trenches. The Irish’s stiff defense will manage to keep Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon from breaking loose -- notice I didn’t say “stop” -- putting more pressure on A.J. McCarron. Another key for the Irish is going to be tempo on offense, just like it was for Texas A&M when it beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Keith Arnold’s pick: Notre Dame 21, Alabama 17
It’ll be a tight game into the fourth quarter when Everett Golson makes a big play late with both his arms and legs. Notre Dame caps off its dream season with another probable win.
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Now that we’ve made our predictions, it’s time to pass the question on to you. It’s a simple one: who wins tonight? And... go!
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