Bowl pairings: Ohio State faces Irish in Fiesta

Ohio State and Notre Dame will kickoff at 1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. local time) on ESPN, on New Year’s Day at Arizona Cardinals’ University of Phoenix Stadium.

“It’s a great accomplishment for our football team”, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. It’s well-coached. But I don’t think that there’s like, you know, an added kind of résumé builder.

Notes: Mississippi State and Michigan State both had two regular-season losses and weren’t conference champs. It’s a darned good football team. The player that contributed most this season to Ohio State QB position was Cardale Jones who played most of the season as the starting QB but Ohio State was a better functioning football team when JT Barrett was at the helm. Grad linebacker and captain Joe Schmidt was an ND fan in the stands at Sun Devil Stadium that day, while grad center and captain Nick Martin was disinterested in either team, instead a follower of Kentucky, where his father once played football. Notre Dame finished No. 8 in the final CFP rankings.

“There were two places that were near and dear to my heart my entire life and that’s Ohio State and Notre Dame”, Meyer said. The playoff selection committee admitted that No. 4 Oklahoma had some support to be No. 1. When the Buckeyes have played to their potential, they are virtually unstoppable. Bowl opponent Ohio State was 82nd. Meyer said in the past that he has never had a chance to coach in the Rose Bowl and would have liked an opportunity but even with that, he is very excited to take this team to the Fiesta Bowl.

“I know the committee decided who the four were, but you know, you could take one of eight teams and make the case for them”. Russell started the first 11 games of the season and leads the team with two interceptions. Kizer has also rushed 119 times for 499 yards. The ‘Noles capped the regular season with a 27-2 beatdown of Florida giving 2.5 points on the road.

-LB Jaylon Smith has now eclipsed 100 tackles in consecutive seasons. The Irish have also had some issues stopping the run this year and rank just No. 65 in the country by allowing more than 165 yards per game on the ground, which can be a real problem against a tailback with Elliott’s ability. “Going to a great bowl game”.

As many expected they would the Irish and the Wildcats both received bids to bowl games played on January 1st. He now has 157 carries on the year for 1,029 yards.

Meyer’s coaching roots trace to Notre Dame, where he was once an assistant under Lou Holtz and Bob Davie. “But you know, if college football continues on its trend of popularity and teams building the way they are, it’s going to be hard to stay at four”.

Smythe actually started ND’s first two games this season, but didn’t quite finish the Virginia game on September 12.

Despite the 10 straight wins, the Buckeyes entered the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin as an underdog with third-string quarterback Cardale Jones at the helm of the offense.

Scouting the passing game: Notre Dame barely missed a beat when Malik Zaire was sidelined with an injury.