I am thinking a 3 point spread too, but I think they'll both score more points than that. With ND, thier front seven is really good, but their Dbacks can be a problem. I think if 'Bama's line gives him some time, McCarron can pick on them a little. Especially if Lacy and Yeldon have good games.
Bama's defense isn't near like it was last year and seems to get a little tired if they have to play a lot. Atkinson has to have a big game and keep Bama's defense on the field for 12 and 14 plays at a time. Back at the LSU game, they really showed signs of fatigue because they had not had to play as much. Texas A&M exploited that too. Georgia kept them on the field quite a bit too.
I think this is going to be a great game. I am a bit torn on it because I am an SEC guy, but I Notre Dame has been my third team since I was little.