The "average" price of a ticket for the BCS Championship Game was almost $1900 which leaves me wondering how many Notre Dame fans would like to have their money back or perhaps even hope no one remembers they went. The game was decided in the first three minutes so I'm sure they had more fun prior to the game than after the opening kick off. At least I hope they did. (Not really.)
The Notre Dame fans who had for the most part been hiding under rocks for the past 15 years all came out this season and their obnoxious presence was as hard to deal with as it was back in the day when they really had great teams.
When you look at Notre Dame's season it's a wonderment as to how they even managed to make it to this game other than the fact that they were the last undefeated team standing. Despite a relatively easy schedule, including SEVEN "home" games (one of those in Chicago) and four wins by 7 points or less (two by three points, over Purdue in South Bend and in OT against Pittsburgh, also under the watchful eye of "Touchdown Jesus"). They probably would have wound up third or fourth at best if Oregon, Kansas State and Alabama hadn't been upset but, for that matter, except for the Oregon and K-State upsets Alabama wouldn't have been in the game either.
Notre Dame's image was founded on one game, Oklahoma (in Norman), where they took advantage of a rather average Sooner team and won by scoring 20 points in the final quarter. Their defense carried the day holding Oklahoma to 13 points and Freshman quarterback Everett Golson came into his own. After that it was the media's ND hype machine that pumped them up to a "powerhouse", despite the fact that they had only one subsequent win that in any way could be called "impressive" (38-0 over Wake Forest, at South Bend). They defeated Pittsburgh by 3 (OT), Boston College by 15 and a highly overrated USC team by 9. But the "national championship" bandwagon had long prior left from where ever bandwagons leave and the stage was set for Miami when Alabama came from behind at the end of the game to defeat Georgia in the SEC Championship.
When the spread for the game was Alabama by 9.5 the ND contingent reacted such that one might have thought it had finally been revealed eight weeks late that Obama had actually LOST the election. This was despite the fact that, against a common opponent, Michigan, Alabama had won 41-14 (after leading 31-0) and Notre Dame, at home, won by 13-6 even having the advantage of SIX Michigan turnovers!
Actually, I had a pretty good time watching hoards of green-clad ND fans sprawled out in their seats, heads in hands as if Obama had actually lost the election. (Sorry, I used that twice.) How's this, I haven't seen that many long faces in one venue since Geraldine Ferraro wasn't elected Vice President?
The up shot is that we found out which was the superior team and in an unequivocal manner which gives the SEC seven BCS Championships in succession and a total of nine since it's inception in 1998 when Tennessee won, lead by Peyton Manning.
A little somethin'-somethin' for probably the more dejected "half" of the ND fans.
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