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A commercial touting the graduation rate of Notre Dame student athletes is set to air at halftime of the 2013 BCS National Championship game Jan. 7 between the Fighting Irish and Alabama Crimson Tide, according to the South Bend Tribune.
The 35-second spot has been posted on the University of Notre Dame website. The commercial, taped last month in Notre Dame Stadium and dubbed "A Message from the Students of Notre Dame," features hundreds of students lighting candles in the stands to form a "#1," pointing out that the Fighting Irish hold the nation's No. 1 graduation rate for student athletes.
According to the NCAA's latest Graduation Success Rate figures, Notre Dame graduated a staggering 99 percent of its student athletes and 97 percent of its football players who entered college between 2002 and 2005. Alabama didn't do to shabby itself, graduating 85 percent of its student athletes and 75 percent of its football players in the same time frame.
Fans can only hope that the quality of Monday's championship game matches each team's performance in the classroom.