Notre Dame Football: BCS Busted, Notre Dame’s New Bowl Options
By Andrew Hall
December 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; A member of the Yankee Stadium grounds crew blows snow off the yard lines before the start of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl game between the Syracuse Orange and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
2013 Notre Dame Football
Notre Dame’s hopes of playing in a BCS Bowl were busted by a loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday night. Now, due to realignment, the Irish are left to the scraps of the bowl season. When the Irish played in the Champs Sports Bowl in 2011, they used their last bowl tie-in. So, Notre Dame will now have to wait until an at-large spot opens up. Obviously, a bowl who ends up with an at-large spot would be head over heels happy to have Notre Dame. The revenue generated would be much higher than Conference USA’s forth team or the Big 12’s seventh. Here is what is left for the Fighting Irish:
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
CBS Sports has Notre Dame playing the Duke Blue Devils in the Independence Bowl. This would be interesting because it is similar to the Notre Dame-Stanford matchup. Writers could call the game “SAT Bowl”. The game might be a difficult one for the Fighting Irish though. Another matchup is probably the best possible for Brian Kelly’s group. According to ESPN, the Irish would be slated to play Boston College. This is a natural matchup. Both teams would probably jump at the opportunity to play each other since they will only get the chance every couple of years now. A healthy Notre Dame should be able to be the Eagles.
Poinsettia Bowl
San Diego is one of the more attractive bowl destinations for Notre Dame. It is probably second to New York City and the Pinstripe Bowl. If the Irish were to land in San Diego, the Irish would most likely play Utah State. This is probably a matchup that the Irish are likely to win. However, Quarterback Chuckie Keeton could make life difficult for the Fighting Irish.
Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl
Free pizza! That might be the only good thing about playing in Detroit in December. The Fighting Irish are projected to Northern Illinois. That would definitely be a tough match up for the Fighting Irish. Jordan Lynch is one of the most underrated players in the country. Although playing in bowl game is important for the progress of a program, it would sure be embarrassing to lose to Northern Illinois on national television.
Pinstripe Bowl
This is probably the most attractive destination for Notre Dame football fans. The Fighting Irish played Army in Yankee Stadium in 2010. The Stadium coupled with New York City is probably the best hope for Brian Kelly and his team at the moment. If they land in the Pinstripe Bowl, they may play Houston. The Fighting Irish have a history with Houston in the Cotton Bowl. In the 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic, the “Chicken Soup Game”, Notre Dame came back to defeat the Cougars 35-34. The Fighting Irish may need chicken soup if the game is similar to last year’s West Virginia-Syracuse match up.