CBS Sports:
No. 8 – Speaking of teams that are better than their records suggest, Iowa State gets a shot at a blue-blood here. Personally, I’d have preferred Notre Dame being in the Orange Bowl against Florida, but this isn’t a bad consolation prize. This game will be close, and it could be a tennis match as well.
College Football News:
No. 9 – Iowa State has enough of an offense to make this a good four quarter fight. The line is too low – if Notre Dame can keep the momentum going from the end of the regular season, it could turn the lights out in a hurry. No matter what, it’s an interesting game that will get totally lost with Penn State and Memphis Cotton Bowl going off at the same time.
Sports Illustrated:
No. 14 – Watch it because… of Iowa State’s passing attack. QB Brock Purdy & Co. light it up through the air at 318 yards a game. He’s got options, too, with four receivers with at least 600 yards.
The Sporting News:
No. 15 – Matt Campbell’s Iowa State team is better than its 7-5 record, so hopefully it will give 10-2 Notre Dame a competitive game. The Fighting Irish will have to keep an eye on quarterback Brock Purdy (3,760 yards, 27 touchdowns, nine interceptions).
Washington Post:
No. 17 – It’s hard for Iowa State to be disappointed in a 7-5 season, but four one-possession losses make it seem like the Cyclones were a close-but-not-quite team. Notre Dame chugs into Orlando with a 10-2 record but was a national afterthought after a late-October blowout loss at Michigan.
Summary: