SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- The rankings say Notre Dame is No. 1 going into the BCS championship against Alabama. Plenty of folks aren't buying it, starting with the oddsmakers who currently have the Crimson Tide as about a touchdown favorite for the Jan. 7 meeting in Miami between two of college football's proudest programs.
For the Fighting Irish, being an underdog is no big deal.
In fact, it's pretty much business as usual for Notre Dame, which has a chance to become the first team since 1984 to start the season unranked and end it as national champions.
Oklahoma was favored to beat Notre Dame this season. So was Michigan State.
History suggests that being the underdog in the BCS hasn't been a bad thing. Of the 14 BCS championship games played since the system was implemented in 1998, seven have been won by the underdog.
