Notre Dame lineman Jarron Jones, right, chases Florida State quarterback Jameis Winson during the second half. (Photo: Mark Wallheiser , Associated Press ).
Florida State and Notre Dame are on a collision course to meet at season’s end in the Orange Bowl, according to SB Nation’s Jason Kirk.
Kirk correctly predicted that the Irish would be Fiesta Bowl bound in 2015 after narrowly missing the playoffs, although he had Boise State as the opponent. (The Broncos would finish 9-4, although they’d win the far less glamorous Poinsettia Bowl.)
Kirk doesn’t like the Irish this year, because their schedule “has a bump too many” – although he has USC slotted as the second-best Pac-12 team, Michigan State as the second, third or fourth best Big 10 team and Stanford as the fourth best Pac-12 team. When does it get hard, Jason?!
Historically, the Irish have struggled against Florida State, going 2-6 all time. While the 1993 “Game of the Century” was memorable for Notre Dame fans, more recent clashes have included an 18-14 loss in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl (TOMMY NO!) and a 31-27 loss in Tallahassee (IT WASN’T A PICK) that took a once-promising 2014 season and set it into a tailspin.
While the prospect of two teams with ACC ties seems like a bit of a snooze for a New Years Six game, the Irish and Seminoles aren’t scheduled to meet again until November 2018. That game will be played in South Bend.
(For @SavedNDAClick, the answer to the headline is: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Kirk slotted Irish opponents in the following bowls:
- Foster Farms: Wisconsin vs. Stanford (Pac-12 #4)
- Tax Slayer: Miami (ACC #3-#6) vs. Georgia
- Alamo: Texas (Big 12 #2) vs. USC (Pac-12 #2)
- Belk: Virginia Tech (ACC #3-#6) vs. Auburn
- Holiday: Michigan State (Big 10 #2-#4) vs. UCLA
- Military: NC State (ACC at large) vs. Temple
- Quick Lane: Syracuse (ACC at large) vs. Indiana
There were no bowl assignments for Nevada, Duke, Army and Navy.
Here are some other Irish headlines:
- Irish Still in the Mix for 2017 Top OT – Jedrick Wills, a four-star tackle from Kentucky, pared his list of teams to eight schools Wednesday. Wills eliminated Ohio State and Michigan State from consideration, but Notre Dame survived the cut. Wills is a “fixture” at Kentucky sporting events, but the Irish have recruited exceptionally well under the guidance of offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. Steve Witfong, a national recruiting analyst for 247 Sports, even believes Wills is Notre Dame bound – although that is, at this point, a minority opinion.
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Parker Boudreaux
Boudreaux Out of The Hospital – Freshman offensive guard Parker Boudreaux has been released after two days from a South Bend hospital while he continues to recover from viral meningitis. This is great news, considering you couldn’t blame Irish fans for fearing the worst when word first leaked on Twitter that Boudreaux had was a teammate called a “serious brain infection.”
- Georgia OL To Announce His Pick At The Opening Camp – Andrew Thomas, who is considered the top offensive lineman prospect in the Peach State, will choose between Georgia, Notre Dame and Clemson on July 9 or 10 while attending Nike’s camp, The Opening. The smart money is on the Bulldogs to land the 6-foot-5, 318 pound mass of man.
- No Significant Improvement In Smith’s Damaged Knee – ESPN’s Ed Werder said the damaged nerve in former Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith’s knee has shown no “significant improvement.” It looks like 2016 will be a lost year for the Dallas Cowboys’ second round draft pick.
Notre Dame graduate, class of '02 (the Davie years!). A former newspaper and TV reporter, andrewwinn is now professionally involved in something far less fun to discuss than college football. A dad, a husband and a wannabe data nerd.
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