We can only wonder what the pregame storylines would be about…
I’d say that it’s way too early to be going over bowl projections but is it actually? When I saw recently that 247Sports had some out my first thought wasn’t “Oh my goodness, it’s too early for such a thing,” but instead was “where are they sending Notre Dame?”.
The projections, put together by Brad Crawford, were released on March 1. The matchup Crawford calls for Notre Dame to have certainly would be an interesting one after the events of this off-season.
247Sports/Crawford Notre Dame bowl projection: Holiday Bowl vs. Utah
Crawford mentions that both teams making the Holiday Bowl would feel like a bit of a disappointment considering how the Irish and Utes appear headed into spring football.
If the Utes and Fighting Irish play out in San Diego next season, that means each team fell slightly below expectations. Utah has won consecutive Pac-12 championships while Notre Dame hopes to get back inside the top 10 in Marcus Freeman’s second campaign. The Fighting Irish added Wake Forest quarterback transfer Sam Hartman from the portal, but did lose OC Tommy Rees to Alabama. He’s been replaced by a promoted assistant and that decision must payoff for Freeman.
– Brad Crawford on 247Sports: March 1, 2023
He’s right that anything short of a New Year’s Six bowl game will feel like a bit of a disappointment for Notre Dame, even with the significant coaching staff changes. However, if these two are to meet in the postseason, can the trophy of the game be made into a silver rendering of the infamous Gerad Parker, Andy Ludwig, and Marcus Freeman picture (see below) from the Irish hockey game earlier this off-season?
Notre Dame and Utah have only met once in what resulted in an Irish victory in November of 2010.
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