2013 BCS National Championship Game

The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game that took place on Monday, January 7, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It featured the No. 1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide.[4][5][6] The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 42–14 for the national championship and took home the Championship Trophy.

2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game
BCS Bowl Game
Alabama Crimson Tide Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(12–1) (0–0 (12–0 record vacated)[n 1])
SEC Independent
42 14
Head coach: 
Nick Saban		 Head coach: 
Brian Kelly
APCoachesBCS
222
APCoachesBCS
111
1234 Total
Alabama 141477 42
Notre Dame 0077 14
DateJanuary 7, 2013
Season2012
StadiumSun Life Stadium
LocationMiami Gardens, Florida
MVPOffense: Eddie Lacy (RB, Alabama)
Defense: C. J. Mosley (LB, Alabama)
FavoriteAlabama by 10[1]
National anthemZac Brown Band
RefereeLand Clark (Pac-12)
Halftime showBand of the Fighting Irish
Million Dollar Band
Attendance80,120[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersBrent Musburger (play-by-play)
Kirk Herbstreit (analyst)
Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi (sideline)
Nielsen ratings17.5 (26.4 million viewers)[3]
International TV coverage
NetworkESPN Deportes
AnnouncersEduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega

Alabama was the defending champion and represented the Southeastern Conference, which had participated in and emerged victorious from every standalone BCS Championship Game (since the format was introduced in the 2006–2007 season). Notre Dame did not belong to a conference and was the first independent team to play in the National Championship game since the start of the BCS.

The National Championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame was anticipated as an historical matchup with a rich tradition[7] in college football. Going into the holiday season after Alabama was assured a spot in the National Championship after beating Georgia in the SEC Championship, sportscasters from both sides weighed in on who was most likely to win. Despite the historical record of, at the time, 5–1 in favor of Notre Dame[8] many sports betting centers had Alabama as a heavy favorite[9][10] with point spreads favoring Alabama as high as ten points over Notre Dame. Many prominent sports writers predicted Notre Dame to win based on several factors including strong overall defense,[11][12] an inconsistent Alabama team (often cited as being "exposed" against LSU and Texas A&M), and various intangibles such as destiny and generalized fatigue from the dominant performances of the Southeastern Conference.[13]

In the aftermath of an Alabama 42 to 14 victory (with the score being 35 to 0 at one point in the game), the BCS National Championship game was considered by Sports Illustrated's Michael Rosenberg to have failed to live up to its hype[14] despite dominating television ratings.[15] Mark Schlabach of ESPN expressed the wish that a playoff system had been in place wherein Oregon or Florida would have played against Alabama.[16] Tom Coyne of Associated Press concluded that Alabama was more talented and physical with better preparation and execution of its game plan than Notre Dame.[17] Specifically, inconsistent tackling, blown coverages, and porous defense were cited by Aaron Ellis of Forbes.com as major detriments to Notre Dame's efforts.[18]

With the win, Alabama won their second straight BCS championship, their third championship in four years, and their ninth AP championship overall.[19][20] Alabama was the last team to become back-to-back champions until the Georgia Bulldogs in 2021 and 2022.

Point spread

While Notre Dame came into the game undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country, as of January 3, 2013, the point spread on the game according to leading Las Vegas casinos projected Alabama to win by between 9.5 and 10 points. Two billion dollars were expected to be wagered on the game.[21]

Teams

It was the seventh meeting between Alabama and Notre Dame, but the teams' first since 1987. Heading into the game, Notre Dame led the series 5-1-0, which included two bowl victories. The two teams first met in the 1973 Sugar Bowl, with the Irish defeating the Crimson Tide, 24–23. Following the game, Notre Dame was voted national champions by the Associated Press while Alabama had been declared the champion by UPI in a poll taken prior to this Sugar Bowl contest, the last time the final U.P.I./Coaches poll was announced before the bowl games.[22]

Alabama
See also: 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

During the regular season, Alabama led the nation in total defense, giving up 246.00 yards per game, and in rushing defense by allowing 79.77 yards per game.[23] The team also led the SEC in scoring defense (10.7 points per game) and rushing defense (79.9 yards per game), was second in scoring offense (38.5 points per game) and rushing offense (224.62 yards per game). Key players for the Crimson Tide were quarterback A. J. McCarron, who led the nation in passing efficiency with a 173.08 rating; cornerback Dee Milliner, a Nagurski Award finalist; linebacker C.J. Mosley, a finalist in the Butkus Award; and center Barrett Jones, the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete/William V. Campbell Trophy recipient and the Rimington Trophy winner. McCarron gained 5,655 yards for Alabama, which include 5,692 passing yards and losing 37 rushing yards. Alabama averaged 224.6 rushing yards per game without allowing a sack all season.

Notre Dame
See also: 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

During the regular season, Notre Dame was the national leader in scoring defense (10.3 points per game) and sixth in total defense (286.83 yards per game).[24] Key players for the Fighting Irish were freshman quarterback Everett Golson, who passed for 2,135 yards for 11 touchdowns and rushed for 305 yards for five touchdowns; senior linebacker and Heisman trophy finalist Manti Te'o, who had 103 tackles and seven interceptions, his third-straight 100-plus tackle season for a career 427 tackles; defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who ranked seventh with others in sacks/game (1.00) and needed two sacks to become the school's single-season record holder; guard Mike Golic Jr., who helped the team averaging more than 200 yards per game in both passing and rushing; and tight end Tyler Eifert, the John Mackey Award winner who caught 44 passes for 624 yards and four touchdowns.

Starting lineups

† = 2012 All-American

AlabamaPositionNotre Dame
Offense
Amari CooperWRT.J. Jones
Cyrus KouandjioLTZack Martin
†Chance WarmackLGChris Watt
†Barrett JonesCBraxston Cave
Anthony SteenRGMike Golic Jr.
D. J. FlukerRTChristian Lombard
Michael WilliamsTETyler Eifert
Kevin NorwoodWRJohn Goodman
A. J. McCarronQBEverett Golson
Eddie LacyRBTheo Riddick
Defense
Ed StinsonDEKapron Lewis-Moore
Jesse WilliamsNTLouis Nix III
Damion SquareDEStephon Tuitt
Adrian HubbardOLBPrince Shembo
Trey DePriestILBDan Fox
†C.J. MosleyILB†Manti Te'o
Xzavier DicksonOLBDanny Spond
Deion BelueCBKeiVarae Russell
Vinnie SunseriCBBennett Jackson
Robert LesterSZeke Motta
Ha Ha Clinton-DixSMatthias Farley

Game summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP BAMA ND
1 12:03 5 82 2:57 BAMA Eddie Lacy 20-yard touchdown run, Jeremy Shelley kick good 7 0
1 6:14 10 61 4:49 BAMA Michael Williams 3-yard touchdown reception from A. J. McCarron, Jeremy Shelley kick good 14 0
2 14:56 8 80 4:26 BAMA TJ Yeldon 1-yard touchdown run, Jeremy Shelley kick good 21 0
2 0:31 9 71 3:12 BAMA Eddie Lacy 11-yard touchdown reception from A. J. McCarron, Jeremy Shelley kick good 28 0
3 7:34 10 97 5:37 BAMA Amari Cooper 34-yard touchdown reception from A. J. McCarron, Jeremy Shelley kick good 35 0
3 4:08 9 85 3:26 ND Everett Golson 2-yard touchdown run, Kyle Brindza kick good 35 7
4 11:27 14 86 7:41 BAMA Amari Cooper 19-yard touchdown reception from A. J. McCarron, Jeremy Shelley kick good 42 7
4 7:51 10 75 3:36 ND Theo Riddick 6-yard touchdown reception from Everett Golson, Kyle Brindza kick good 42 14
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 42 14

Statistics
StatisticsBAMAND
First Downs2816
Total offense, plays–yards73–52955–302
Rushes-yards (net)45–26519–32
Passing yards (net)264270
Passes, Comp-Att-Int20–28–021–36–1
Time of Possession38:1321:47

Notes
  1. Notre Dame later vacated all results during the season for an official 0–0 record.

References
  1. Bowl Schedule, Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2013
  2. "2013 BCS National Championship Bowl: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  3. "BCS games rise in attendance and viewership". bcsfootball.org. Bowl Championship Series. January 10, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  4. "BCS selection procedures". Bcsfootball.org. July 21, 2011. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  5. "2013 Discover BCS National Championship logo unveiled". Bcsfootball.org. January 26, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  6. "BCS Group and Orange Bowl unveil 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game logo". January 26, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.]
  7. Pennington, Bill (December 8, 2012). "Before Computer Rankings and the Superdome, There Was Notre Dame vs. Alabama in the 1973 Sugar Bowl". The New York Times.
  8. "Alabama vs Notre Dame Series History | College Football Database". Collegefootball.bz. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  9. Lassan, Steven. "5 Reasons Why Alabama Will Beat Notre Dame for the National Title". AthlonSports.com. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  10. OddsShark on Dec 17 2012, 9:49a + (December 17, 2012). "BCS Championship Game betting: Alabama vs. Notre Dame odds preview". SBNation.com. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  11. "Notre Dame Football: Why the Irish Can Beat the SEC". Bleacher Report. December 12, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  12. Lassan, Steven. "5 Reasons Why Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama for the National Title". AthlonSports.com. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  13. "10 Bold Predictions for Alabama vs. Notre Dame BCS Championship Showdown". Bleacher Report. December 13, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  14. Michael Rosenberg (January 7, 2013). "Alabama overmatches Notre Dame in BCS championship game joke - College Football - Michael Rosenberg - SI.com". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  15. "BCS National Championship Game 2013: Epic Contest Draws Huge Television Ratings". Bleacher Report. January 8, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  16. "Notre Dame couldn't hang with Alabama, highlighting why a playoff is needed - college football - ESPN". Espn.go.com. January 8, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  17. Greenberg, Chris (January 8, 2013). "Notre Dame Season Loses Luster After Blowout Loss To Alabama In BCS Championship Game". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  18. "Why Was Alabama Able To Blow Out Notre Dame?". Forbes. April 18, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  19. Solomon, Michael (January 8, 2013). "BCS National Championship: Alabama vs. Notre Dame—as it happened". Guardian UK. London. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  20. "Alabama routs Notre Dame, wins 3rd BCS title in last 4 years". ESPN. January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  21. Brian A. Shactman, Notre Dame vs. Alabama, Likely Most Wagered BCS Game, CNBC, January 7, 2013
  22. Pennington, Bill (December 8, 2012). "Epic Battle of Opposites: Irish vs. Tide in 1973". The New York Times. New York, NY. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  23. FBS Football Statistics, NCAA.com, December 29, 2012
  24. Bowl Subdivision (FBS) National Team Report Scoring Defense, NCAA.com, January 5, 2013
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