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When Notre Dame “Chose” The Bowls

Cierre Wood

All Cierre Wood and the 2012 Notre Dame team can control is finishing the 2012 regular season 12-0, but will that be enough to play for No. 1?

The author looks at how the pre-BCS bowl system would be more favorable these days to Notre Dame.

Lou Somogyi

    • You know how I feel about the Dufresne line Lou....always makes me smile.

      travisbarke ●

    • The Irish first and foremost have to keep it one game at a time. that being said there is a lot of football left to play. Kansas State will have an easier road than any of the top three (Texas, TCU, Baylor). Alabama tough road to go (A&M this week) then the conference game, Oregon pretty tough road, Stanford, Oregon State. If two of the top 3 lose which is very possible, ND just needs to win out. I really like our chances of getting into the NC game. My probable pick when looking at the games left is ND versus Kansas State in the NC. What percentage ,70% just off the top of my head. Not quite as good a bet as the 11 point spread of the OU game, but doable. What do you think Lou.

      TX Irish

    • i love this article lou because it points out that even when the whole nation is stacked against notre dame(like now), we still have hope and as long as we take care of business anything can happen(hey look at how we beat pitt in 3 ot)and even thoe all the "experts" say we need help and we probably wont make it, thats why we still play the games because you just never know. i love this notre dame team and am so proud of our boys whatever happens they have given me one of the best notre dame seasons ive ever seen (im only 24 and was born the same year that nd won is last NC) but win lose or draw i still love em and no matter what GO IRISH

      williemcgraw88

    • ...and it's no wonder that "you love 'em or hate 'em".

      Go Irish!

      ciggles ●

    • Great read Lou, i loved those days of ND choosing the bowls,lol. I used to love New Years Day when all the bowls were played and it seemed at least 2 or 3 teams had a chance to win it all depending on the results.

      edd1066

    • Excellent Lou. I would be happy if the Irish goes undefeated, even if they don't win the National Title.

      Sleepyscrapiron ●

    • ciggles said...

      ...and it's no wonder that "you love 'em or hate 'em".

      Go Irish!

      Agree!

      I miss those days of the Irish controlling their own destiny.

      Imagine the hate that would be thrown ND's way in this age of electronic media. Yikes!

      jordannikki

    • Nice read Lou. I can still remember walking out of the Coliseum in 1980 as a kid and hearing my Dad yelling we're still going to the Suger Bowl and SC's going to the Toilet Bowl. Oh the good ole days.

      leftcoastndfan

    • Lou: Great stuff. Here's one for you----There are only five treams that have won all four Major Bowls (Rose, Cotton, Orange and Sugar) with Penn State being the latest. Name the other four !

      RJSHAN

    • Call me old but I loved the old system. The argument about who is better was the best part of college football. Of course we usually always had the trump card in those arguments so I guess that's why I liked the old system.

      GIGA

    • The thing I remember about the 1977 season was that Oklahoma played Arkansas. Arkansas' best running back violated team rules and was left home. The team rallied together and beat the highly favored Sooners. The Arkansas coach was Lou Holtz.

      NDDillon

    • RJShan.

      RJShan,

      That's a great question, one that I featured several years ago, but I do believe Ohio State, not Penn State, is the latest to win not just the four you mentioned, but also the Fiesta (which became a major bowl in the early 1980s).

      Notre Dame did it with Rose (1924), Cotton (1971), Sugar (1973), Orange (1974) and Fiesta (1988).

      Penn State did it with Orange (1968), Cotton (1971), Sugar (1978), Fiesta (1977 before it was major, and also 1986 in the title game versus Miami) and then Rose (1994).

      Ohio State's win over Arkansas in the Sugar a couple of years ago put them into that company. They have won the Rose and Fiesta many times, but also the Orange (1976), Cotton (1986) and eventually the Sugar.

      Oklahoma and Texas have also won all five. Miami has won the four you mentioned — but is 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl.

      Lou Somogyi ●

    • NDDillon,

      Holtz not suspended leading rusher Ben Cowins, but also top receivers Michael Forrest and Danny Bobo.

      When OU coach Barry Switzer saw that ND had trounced No. 1 Texas 38-10, he told his No. 2 Sooners that they needed to not only win, but win big for style points. Meanwhile, Holtz was cracking jokes in his locker room, telling the players, "They might have a Lott, but we've got a Little." (The reference was to OU star QB Thomas Lott and Arkansas All-America kicker Steve Little.)

      Arkansas, which started off as an 18-point underdog before the suspensions, won 31-6.

      Lou Somogyi ●

    • Georgia and Georgia Tech have won all four.

      RJSHAN

    • Correct, but not the Fiesta, which replaced the Cotton as the "fourth major."

      In the ND Football Auditorium there is a large listing of ND's "BCS bowl" appearance, but they don't include the seven in the Cotton from 1970-93. That shouldn't be the case. Those were bona fide BCS berths in their time.

      Lou Somogyi ●

    • Lou Somogyi said...

      RJShan.

      RJShan,

      That's a great question, one that I featured several years ago, but I do believe Ohio State, not Penn State, is the latest to win not just the four you mentioned, but also the Fiesta (which became a major bowl in the early 1980s).

      Notre Dame did it with Rose (1924), Cotton (1971), Sugar (1973), Orange (1974) and Fiesta (1988).

      Penn State did it with Orange (1968), Cotton (1971), Sugar (1978), Fiesta (1977 before it was major, and also 1986 in the title game versus Miami) and then Rose (1994).

      Ohio State's win over Arkansas in the Sugar a couple of years ago put them into that company. They have won the Rose and Fiesta many times, but also the Orange (1976), Cotton (1986) and eventually the Sugar.

      Oklahoma and Texas have also won all five. Miami has won the four you mentioned — but is 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl.

      Ohio State's win over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl was vacated so that one doesn't count. They did beat Texas A&M in the 1999 Sugar Bowl though.

      GIGA

    • Giga,

      Good job. Mea culpa.

      Lou Somogyi ●

    • Lou Somogyi said...

      Giga,

      Good job. Mea culpa.

      That's twice in 2 weeks. I can die now.

      GIGA

    • Don't ever die when Notre Dame is 9-0. These opportunities don't come along often.

      Lou Somogyi ●

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