BCS 2013: Tuscaloosa house divided

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WALA) - Fans are pumped ahead of the BCS National Championship game in “The Magic City.”

Alabama and Notre Dame will faceoff at Sunlife Stadium in Miami on January 7, reviving a rivalry that many haven’t seen since 1987.

The fight on the football field however is already spilling over into some households.

Suzanne Horsley is a professor at the University of Alabama whose been married to a Notre Dame grad for some 10 years.

“This is new territory because we’ve never had a rivalry come up,” said Suzanne. “This is a really exciting rivalry to have.”

Her husband Joe Herron said he knows he is outnumbered. The couple lives in Tuscaloosa. However, he said he is sticking with The Fighting Irish.

 “Whatever happens, we’ll still love each other,” said Herron. “But it sure would be nice if Notre Dame won.”

Both, however, find common ground in one thing: the City of Tuscaloosa.

Both are Red Cross disaster coordinators for the city and have played pivotal roles in rebuilding communities and the families that live in them following the April 27 EF-4 Tornado.

Herron said although he is a Notre Dame fan, his heart is also with the Crimson Tide.

Horsley said she believes the city would not have been able to rebuild so much without the football team.

“One thing we were afraid of after the storm was that people would forget about us,” said Horsley. “A lot of people were afraid the help would go away. But having the football team bring such wonderful news to our town has really been a wonderful thing.”

Herron said, “I might be a Notre Dame guy, but I’m telling you the University of Alabama football is near and dear to my heart just as much as it is to hers.”

Both said they are pumped and are predicting a close game on Monday. It didn’t stop them from making a little wager in front of our cameras.

“Alright! Crab leg dinner prepared by me and anything you want as sides the day after,” said Herron.

Horsley responded with a similar bet.