Notre Dame was eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday when the Chaos Saturday we all were hoping for never materialized. Their consolation prize is not too bad, however, with a New Year’s Day matchup in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State (10-2). The Irish return to the Fiesta Bowl for the first time in six years to face the Cowboys for the first time in program history.
Notre Dame finished the regular season ranked 5th, just outside the playoffs while Oklahoma State finished 9th after coming up inches short in the Big12 Championship. Marcus Freeman will get his head coaching debut in a New Year’s 6 Bowl game with an opportunity to do what Brian Kelly never did in 12 years – win a BY6 bowl game.