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After effectively earning their place in this year's BCS National Championship Game with a victory over the USC Trojans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish players understandably received a warm welcome from fans in South Bend, Ind., on Sunday morning.
Bearing the bitter cold of night, roughly 75 Fighting Irish fans gathered on campus to cheer the return of their team from Los Angeles, where the Irish beat the Trojans, 22-13, to stay unbeaten. Fans could be heard cheering, "Let's Go Irish!" as the team appeared.
The BCS National Championship Game will be played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Fla., on Jan. 7, 2013. The Irish will likely play the winner of the SEC Championship Game, either the Alabama Crimson Tide or Georgia Bulldogs, in the title game, though some believe the Florida Gators could sneak in given the right circumstances.
It will be Notre Dame's first appearance in the BCS National Championship Game since the system was established in 1998.