Like many Alabama fans, Vicksburg’s Megan Easterling is giddy with excitement that her beloved Alabama Crimson Tide is playing for its 13th national title.

However, the difference is Easterling will be there.

The Warren Central and University of Alabama graduate, who resides now in Birmingham, Ala., will be watching the BCS Championship Game against Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl.

It was a classic case of the stars aligning for Easterling, who has wanted to visit Los Angeles most of her life.

A friend of a friend secured tickets and today, Easterling will be flying out to watch the Tide play in its first national championship game since 1993.

“I’ve got a really cool manager and it all really fell into place,” Easterling said. “I’ve always been a a big celebrity watcher, always wanted to see L.A. and it seemed like fate.”

Easterling and her two friends heading to Pasadena, Calif. managed to purchase tickets from a friend for $1,000 for the three seats. That’s inexpensive considering tickets on Stubhub.com, a ticket resale web site, range in price from $400 to as much as $8,600 apiece.

The season has been a great ride for Easterling, whose brother Matt also graduated from the Tuscaloosa-based university.

The best moment of the season was mammoth defensive tackle Terrance Cody’s block of a potential game-winning field goal against Tennessee that kept the Tide undefeated. It was a painful moment in more ways than one for Easterling.

“I couldn’t watch at all,” Easterling said of that fateful kick. “I was on the ground, under the coffee table. All I could think about was if we could just win this game, we can still win a national championship. But when he blocked it, i got so excited I hit my head on the coffee table. I was screaming and crying.”

Easterling has seen the Tide go from the era of Mike Shula, when mediocrity was the rule to that of Nick Saban, with two trips to the SEC Championship Game in three years.

“The first big year for me was the 10-0 start (in 2005),” Easterling said. “It was amazing, everything except for the LSU loss.”

She was smitten from that point, even if Shula was fired a year later after a 6-6 record and Nick Saban hired. Easterling is such a fan of the Tide coach she proudly wears a shirt as one of “Nick’s Chicks.”

She’s gone to several games this year, the biggest being the SEC Championship Game. When she went last year, the antics of a certain Heisman-winning quarterback following Florida’s victory was grating to her.

“I respect him and I’m sure he’s a great guy, but when he came over by our section and did the Gator Chomp, I wasn’t very happy.”

As for her attire for tonight’s game, Easterling will be wearing her Julio Jones No. 8 jersey. To her, it bears a special significance, as it was the same outfit she wore during the SEC Championship Game.

Now if the Tide loses, Easterling will be despondent as she is after every loss. But a trip to L.A. following the contest will be a salve for her wounds.

“It’s not something I’ve even considered,” Easterling said. “It’s not even something I’ve thought about. But I just hope if they do lose, it’s something I get over quickly.”

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Contact Steve Wilson at swilson@vicksburgpost.com