BCS Championship: 5 Keys for the Irish to Beat Alabama

Who would have thought Notre Dame Fighting Irish would be playing for the crystal football on January 7?

I surely didn't think so, and I'm a Notre Dame fan.

It's one thing to make it to the National Championship, but another one to win it.

This year, the Fighting Irish face no easy task, they are playing against a powerhouse like Alabama, who has been to this dance several times now.

If the Irish are going to upset the Crimson Tide, and prove all the experts, voters and odds-makers wrong, they have to make sure they follow these five keys:

1. Make A.J. McCarron Beat You

When you line up against the Tide, there's no secret, they want to run the ball and run it often.

That's been their blueprint for success, and if Notre Dame wants to stop the Tide and their two-headed rushing attack, they'll need to force A.J. McCarron to air it out.

Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon are 1,000 yards rushers and averaging over six yards per carry.

McCarron has thrown for 300 yards only twice, one of those times coming against their Texas A&M loss, where he also threw two out of his three INTs this season.

McCarron is not an elite passer, but merely an effective game manager working in a great system.

Put the weight of the game on his shoulders and he is bound to make a mistake.

2. Get Golson Going Early

This season, Everett Golson has struggled every time he was unable to get anything going in the passing game. Opponents would put eight or nine guys in the box, making the lethal Notre Dame rushing attack all but nonexistent. 

Just like Alabama, Notre Dame is built on the run, and Alabama knows it.

Look for them to fill the box early and to confuse Golson with stunts, mixed coverage packages and delayed blitzes. 

Look for Brian Kelly to start out with some quick and safe passes to spread the field, and bootlegs and rollouts to get Golson using his feet—and only having to deal with a half-field read.

If Notre Dame gets Golson hot early, then Alabama's defense will have to respect his arm and thus, holes will begin to appear for Wood, Riddick and Atkinson.

3. Special Teams Needs to Actually Show Up

What can be said about Notre Dame's special teams? Allowing 20 yards per kickoff, 2.4 yards per punt return and under 75 percent for field goals, the Irish have a national ranking of 114th.

Championships are won and lost by big plays.

Momentum shifts and the other team never looks back.

Notre Dame needs to create some electricity with their special teams.

Lining up in punt return safe and fair catching every punt is not going to win a game.

Sure, they'll be ready for any trick plays Alabama may throw at them (they did against Georgia), but playing it safe never wins you anything.

The Irish need to take some chances, run some actual punt returns, block a punt and be perfect in the kicking game to win this game. 

4. Receivers Need to Have a Breakout Game

Notre Dame's receivers have been relatively quiet all season.

It's not entirely their fault, it's easy to be outshadowed when you have an All-American and future first-round draft pick tight end, a redshirt freshman quarterback and a coach who relies on a three-headed rushing attack while his quarterback learns the playbook.

But with Alabama likely to stack the box to stop the run and keying in on Tyler Eifert, there's not many options left for Golson and coach Brian Kelly. 

Golson needs to use his possession receivers (Toma and Jones) as security blanket to get yards and stay out of trouble.

But once Golson has his rhythm going, Chris Brown and DaVaris Daniels will need to take over the game.

Both have the speed to get behind Alabama's defense, and just like with the special teams, Kelly needs to dial-up some home run passes to ignite the Irish team and keep the pressure on the Tide early on.

5. Don't Fear the Lights

This may be the most intangible key to Notre Dame winning this game, but it may also be the most important one. It all falls on coach Kelly.

Nick Saban and his Alabama team has been here before—three times in the past four years.

They know what to expect and can handle the spotlight with their workman like attitude.

Kelly has to make sure his Irish team doesn't get too jittery and affected by the national spotlight.

All eyes will be on Notre Dame to see if they can handle the pressure and it's up to Kelly to keep his players focused on the task at hand.