CBS: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State is 8th best bowl matchup

At least one outlet likes the bowl matchup for Notre Dame.

Since the minute the Camping World Bowl matchup with Iowa State was announced, Notre Dame fans have done little but moan and complain about the caliber of bowl they are in and the caliber of team they will play.

The bowl is what it is. We’ve been over it. It’s the way the cards and matchups fell this year because of the College Football Playoff rotation.

The matchup with Iowa State — their record aside — is actually a very intriguing one. The Cyclones lost fives games by a total of 21 points. Four of those losses were to teams that finished in the Top 25 of the final College Football Playoff rankings. The fifth loss was to a very good Kansas State team — the same Kansas State that took down Oklahoma.

Iowa State is no slouch, and the opening line of roughly 3.5 points is indicative of that.

CBS Sports sees that, and thinks quite highly of the Notre Dame matchup with Iowa State. Earlier this week, CBS published its rankings of of all 39 bowls according to best and most intriguing matchup.

The Camping World Bowl came in at No. 8.

CBS paints it as sort of a David vs. Goliath game, with Iowa State being better than their record, facing off against one of the true blue bloods of college football.

In terms of exposure, the game is going to be great for Notre Dame — as long as they win. The game leads into the College Football Playoff semifinals that same day. People are going to watch the Irish play, and hopefully be tuning in as they celebrate a bowl victory.

Regardless of the bowl or opponent, that’s a big deal and a positive for the overall image of Notre Dame football, especially in terms of media and recruiting perception.