Notre Dame Vs. Alabama -- Mayor In for RIBBING With BCS Champion Wager

Notre Dame and the University of Alabama are taking their beef to a new level -- TMZ has learned, the mayors of both college towns have made a friendly wager in honor of the BCS National Championship ... and a whole lot of BBQ goodness is at stake.

If the Fighting Irish win -- Tuscaloosa mayor Walt Maddox will send a heaping portion of coma-inducing grub from Dreamland Bar-B-Que to a rep for South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Maddox has also agreed to donate money to South Bend Big Brothers Big Sisters.

But if 'Bama wins -- Buttigieg has agreed to send gourmet chocolates from the South Bend Chocolate Company ... and will donate to the Tuscaloosa Tornado Recovery Fund.

We're not suggesting either team would throw the BCS Championship on January 7 -- but BBQ and chocolate are awesome.