Alabama won its third BCS national championship in four years last night by defeating Notre Dame 42-14 before a "Sun Life Stadium record crowd" of 80,120. Notre Dame's fans were "much louder before the game" than Alabama's, but were "stunned" by early in the second quarter (PALM BEACH POST, 1/8). At the start of ESPN’s 30-minute pregame show, play-by-play commentator Kirk Herbstreit said, “We’ve been coming to these national championships for a long time. ... I’ve never seen it like this. Just trying to get to the stadium alone was a zoo. ... The energy down on the field in the pregame show, I never seen anything like it” (“BCS National Championship Pregame,” ESPN, 1/7).
Morning Buzz provides a roundup of front-page newspaper headlines from around the country:
Montgomery Advertiser: “Bama Bash”
Tuscaloosa News: “Dynasty”
Chicago Tribune: “Rolled Gold”
Illinois Daily Herald: “Crimson Glide”
South Bend Tribune: “Crushing”
N.Y. Times: “No Contest”
USA Today: “Tide Roll Over Irish”
Miami Herald: “High Tide”
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “Tide Just Keeps Rolling”
Meanwhile, BCS commissioners met yesterday and will meet again today "as they continue to iron out details for the new playoff." Among the major topics of discussion are "determining how and of whom the selection committee will be composed and finalizing the location of the semifinal rotations" (ESPN.com, 1/7).
Brent Musburger's comments on Alabama QB A.J. McCarron's girlfriend, Katherine Webb, drew heavy response on Twitter and other outlets. During the first quarter, the camera panned to Webb in the stands, and Musburger said, "You quarterbacks, you get all the good looking women." Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan tweeted, "Sources: A.J. McCarron's girlfriend to seek restraining order from Brent Musburger at halftime." ESPN's Darren Rovell: "By the end of this game, there will be more modeling agents in the stands going after @_KatherineWebb than sports agents."
NBC’s Savannah Guthrie said of Musberger's comments, “I guess the game wasn’t exciting enough.” NBC’s Matt Lauer: “It was a little over the top, Brent” (“Today,” NBC, 1/8). CBS’ Gayle King: “I think it’s so unbecoming when a grown man slobbers and drools. You wanted to say to Brent, ‘Down boy, down’” (“CBS This Morning,” CBS, 1/8).
