An assistant professor of sport and fitness marketing at Indiana University says if the University of Notre Dame wins the Bowl Championship Series title game tonight, the school’s already-strong brand will hit an “all-time high.”

Antonio Williams tells Inside INdiana Business, even if the Fighting Irish lose to the University of Alabama tonight, the school will likely see boosts in applications, merchandise sales and TV contracts.

Williams says the game will also help promote Notre Dame football to a new generation of fans that has not seen the team achieve this level of success. Notre Dame’s last national championship in football was in 1988.

He says the NCAA will also benefit from tonight’s game, since it features two high-profile traditional powers. Notre Dame will share a payout of between $44 and $48 million with the University of Alabama for the January 7 game in Miami.

Source: Indiana University, Inside INdiana Business