Kipper Breckenridge can only chuckle when recalling how a Birmingham, Ala., native ended up as a Notre Dame football fan.
Breckenridge, who has lived in McComb for nearly 30 years, came from Birmingham and a family full of Alabama Crimson Tide spirit.
He remembers being at his grandmothers house, which featured a room dedicated solely to Alabama memorabilia — from elephant figurines to crimson and white patterns. The room had it all.
Now, Breckenridge will be watching his family’s favorite team against his own favorite team — Notre Dame — on Monday night when the two square off in the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship game.
Breckenridge has been a Notre Dame fan since he was 5 years old, although the way he grew to love the Irish is a bit peculiar.
He is of Scottish decent, but originally thought he was Irish. After seeing the Fighting Irish on TV, he began rooting for the team he thought was tied to his heritage.
Breckenridge remained a fan, however, and stuck with Notre Dame despite a rocky past two decades that featured only four double-digit winning seasons.
“It was tough,” said Breckenridge, referring to Notre Dame’s absence among college football’s elite in the 1990s and 2000s. “What (coach Brian) Kelly has done to turn it around and do what he’s done ... that quickly is surprising. I’m proud of what he’s done.”
Kelly took over at Notre Dame in 2010 and has already led the Fighting Irish to play for their first national title since 1988.
Notre Dame finished the season with an unblemished 12-0 record and is seeking just its fourth undefeated season in the past 50 years.
Oddsmakers have penned Notre Dame as nearly a 10-point underdog, despite a consensus No. 1 ranking.
Breckenridge has no qualms with the under-the-radar attitude toward Notre Dame, however.
“The (Southeastern Conference) has been such a dominating force with the top 5 to 10 teams for the last five to 10 years ... so I can see where they are coming from,” he said.
The SEC has won the past six national championships.
Alabama enters the game with a 12-1 record. The Crimson Tide’s only loss came back on Nov. 10 against Texas A&M and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Meanwhile, for Dixie Springs entertainer Paul Ott, whose son Paul Jr. played for ’Bama under legendary coach Bear Bryant, the game could be a shot at redemption.
“My son played for Coach Bryant, and Coach Bryant never beat Notre Dame,” he said.
Notre Dame has won the previous two bowl meetings with Alabama in 1973 and 1974.
Ott said he’s confident the Crimson Tide will “take the luck of the Irish out.”
“I just feel like the SEC is the most powerful conference in the nation, and I think Alabama is the most powerful in the SEC,” he said.
While Alabama is favored, Ott said he thinks the Tide can stretch that margin, especially “if you give coach Saban that much time to prepare and the defensive injuries to heal.”
McComb’s Rickey Johnston, a partner at Oakes & Johnston Agency, agreed that Saban’s coaching brain gives the Crimson Tide an edge.
“Based on what we’ve seen them do in the past, anytime you give Saban four weeks to prepare for somebody, most of the time he’s going to find weaknesses and exploit them,” Johnston said.
He has been an Alabama season ticket holder for 10 years and attends two to three games per year.
He won’t be attending the game in Miami, but he hopes to witness Alabama’s third national championship in the past four years, including a repeat of last year’s 21-0 beatdown of LSU in the 2012 BCS title game.
“I’m a little different than some SEC fans. I think it will be a four-quarter game,” he said. “Notre Dame is a good team. They have struggled in some games this year, but they aren’t 12-0 for no reason. It will come down to who makes the fewest turnovers, fewest errors and fewest mistakes.”
Both teams are evenly matched on paper. Alabama enters the game allowing just 10.7 points per game, while Notre Dame gives up 10.3 points per game.
On the offensive side of the ball, Alabama is balanced, yet prefers a run-heavy attack with bruising running back Eddie Lacy, who rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns in the SEC Championship game last month against Georgia.
Notre Dame is led by dual-threat quarterback Everett Golson. The sophomore has thrown for 2,135 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for another 305 and five TDs.
Johnston has heard some say Alabama may have a difficult time with Golson after the Tide’s defense was exposed by Manziel in November.
“They like to compare (Golson) to Manziel,” Johnston said. “I don’t think there is any comparison there. He’s nowhere near Manziel in my book from what I’ve seen. But he’s good. He’s pretty elusive.”
While Breckenridge and Johnston are on opposite sides for Monday’s game, McComb pediatrician Dr. Michael Artigues is somewhere in the middle.
Artigues used to root for Notre Dame when he lived in the Chicago area, but his brother played for Mississippi State, an SEC team.
This kind of makes him “schizophrenic” about the game, he said.
On one hand, the Tide is an SEC team, and Artigues generally pulls for the conference.
“When you lose to the champ, you feel like you’ve got a piece in it,” he said, noting SEC-loyal leanings for Alabama.
But he also thinks it would be nice for Notre Dame to take the wind out of ’Bama’s sails and put an end to its perceived dynasty.
“Part of me wouldn’t mind seeing Notre Dame win,” he said.
Artigues got accepted to Notre Dame and came close to attending the school but ended up going to Tulane.
Still, “Notre Dame has this special place in my heart,” he said.
Plus, there’s the fact that his co-worker, Dr. Pat Tarpy, and the husband of another co-worker went to Notre Dame, so some folks around his office are heavily pulling for the Irish.
But when it comes down to it, the Tide will get his backing.
“I think Alabama’s got the edge. In the office pool, I went with Alabama,” Artigues said. “Both have good defenses. I don’t think there will be a lot of points scored.”
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Managing Editor Matt Williamson contributed to this story.
