7:16p.m. EST January 25, 2013  Leading up to the BCS Championship game on Monday, Notre Dame and Alabama players have been basking in the spotlight and bombarded with waves of media outlets before finally squaring up on the football field.

When players see the coveted BCS national championship trophy in person for the first time, they often visualize the feeling of holding it and knowing it could be theirs with a win in the title game.

The Fighting Irish, well, they used the trophy as a prop to play beer pong. No, there wasn't beer in the cups, just water.

During a storybook 12-0 season, Notre Dame players popularized "Trick Shot Monday," into water cups.

This time around, with ESPN sideline reporter Samantha Ponder joining them, Notre Dame players used the BCS national championship trophy as a backboard.

Notre Dame has not won a national title since 1988. Alabama has won three national titles in the last 20 years. Notre Dame claims 11 national titles. Alabama claims 14, and one of those is also claimed by Notre Dame. Two of the titans of college football meet for the BCS title, but all of the tradition and pageantry won't matter once kickoff comes.

Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson made strides each week, from being pulled early in the season against Michigan to leading the Fighting Irish into Norman for a 30-13 upset of Oklahoma.

Alabama struggled against a young, mobile quarterback in its loss to Texas A&M, and while Golson is not Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, he is a mobile quarterback who has shown steady improvement and should continue to do so with a month of preparation for the championship game.