It’s never too early to think about college football and 247Sports is thinking beyond the 2023 regular season.
In their latest bowl projections, the Ducks are slated to go to the Fiesta Bowl and play Notre Dame on Dec. 30. Although the Fiesta is in the rotation for the College Football Playoff, the bowl game isn’t one of the playoff games this season. That falls to the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl.
If the Ducks were to play the Irish, it would certainly be must-see TV and be a marquee matchup this bowl season. Oregon hasn’t played Notre Dame since the infamous 1982 game at Autzen that ended in a 13-13 tie. The Irish could have gone for two and the win, but coach Gerry Faust decided to kick the extra point and the tie. Fortunately, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman won’t be faced with that decision in 2023.
Oregon did go to South Bend in 1976 and promptly took a 41-0 loss.
247Sports also picked USC to play LSU in the Cotton Bowl, also not a College Football Playoff game, which would be fitting for the Pac-12 to miss out on the semifinals yet again. The playoff format is being expanded to 12 teams for the 2024 season.
In one more notable projection, Oregon State is said to be going to the Sun Bowl to face quarterback Drake Maye and the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC fans might get tired of playing Oregon schools in two straight seasons, however.
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