1973 Sugar Bowl , part of the 1973 bowl game season , took place on December 31 , 1973 , at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans , Louisiana . The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) met the independent Notre Dame Fighting Irish ; both teams Underdog Notre Dame won 24 – 23 ; the game received a 25.3 Nielsen rating , making it one of the highest-rated college football games in history
independent
NCAA Division I FBS independent schools
1973 Sugar Bowl