Where Notre Dame stands in post-Week 8 bowl projections
Notre Dame put itself one step closer to bowl eligibility by beating UNLV 44-21 last week and improving to 4-3. It was a needed victory when charting Notre Dame’s path to being bowl eligible. The Irish’s postseason outlook didn’t change much because of it.
Here’s a look at the notable post-Week 8 bowl projections and where Notre Dame appears in each.
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• ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Pinstripe Bowl vs. Maryland, Dec. 29 in New York (Week 7: Pinstripe bowl vs. Minnesota)
• ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Holiday Bowl vs. Utah, Dec. 28 in San Diego (Week 7: Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State)
• Action Network: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. South Carolina, Jan. 2 in Tampa (Week 7: Gator Bowl vs. Florida)
• Sporting News: Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Minnesota, Dec. 30 in Charlotte (Week 7: Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Iowa)
• USA Today: Holiday Bowl vs. Utah (Week 7: Same)
• Athlon Sports: Gator Bowl vs. Florida
• CBS Sports: Gator Bowl vs. Arkansas, Dec. 30 in Jacksonville
BlueandGold.com says
• A reminder: Notre Dame is eligible for any non-New Year’s Six ACC bowl if its record is within one game of the team that would otherwise be picked in that game. For example, Notre Dame could go to the Holiday Bowl at 7-5 if the best available ACC team when the Holiday Bowl picks is 8-4.
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• The Pinstripe Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Gator Bowl were the most popular picks overall. Three outlets kept Notre Dame in the same bowl game as last week. The Pinstripe Bowl is the lowest on the ACC bowl pecking order of those three.
• Notre Dame has never played in the Holiday Bowl. It has played one prior game against Utah, a 28-3 home win in 2010.
• Notre Dame has never played in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl under any of its previous names. It last played in the Pinstripe Bowl in 2013, beating Rutgers 29-16. The Irish are 2-0 vs. Maryland, with the most recent game a 45-21 win in the 2011 Shamrock Series game played at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. They’re 4-0-1 against Minnesota, with all five meetings coming between 1925 and 1938.
• The Gator Bowl has hosted Notre Dame three times, most recently in 2003 when the Irish lost to North Carolina State 28-6. Notre Dame has never played Arkansas, but the two teams were supposed to start a home-and-home in 2020 in South Bend. That game was postponed due to COVID-19 scheduling changes. The Irish will play at Arkansas in 2025 and host the Razorbacks in 2028.
• Notre Dame has never played in the ReliaQuest Bowl, which was known as the Outback Bowl from 1995-2021. It has a 3-1 record against South Carolina, with all four games coming between 1976 and 1984. The Irish have played Florida once – a 39-28 win in the 1992 Sugar Bowl. They scheduled a home-and-home with the Gators for 2031 and 2032.
