College football fans are taking over South Florida. The big national championship game is Monday at Sun Life Stadium, and fans aren't waiting to celebrate.
At the Clevelander, in the heart of South Beach, fans celebrated their teams' trip to the BCS National Championship Game.
A couple of miles away at Monty's, Notre Dame was the theme. Flags hang in the restuarant at every turn. One of the fans there Friday night is a transplant from South Bend, Indiana.
"I never thought I'd see the day that they'd be playing for a national championship here in Miami, in my own backyard," Mark Keene said.
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Canceling all of his credit cards except for his Discover card, Notre Dame alum Dan Scaminace wrote a letter to the company, and won free tickets to the bowl game sponsored by Discover.
Most other people in South Florida are paying big bucks to go to the game – and are glad it's here.
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"The weather's great," one Notre Dame fan said. "We left 19 degrees and snowing. Now we're in 80 degrees."
Monty's is the official spot for Notre Dame fans on the beach, while the Clevelander will cater to Alabama fans on Saturday. Both places say they won't turn away opposing fans. In fact, friendly rivalry is encouraged.
