Bowl History – Syndication Server

A Christmas Eve Memory: Notre Dame’s 2008 trip to Hawaii Bowl

15 years ago today!

It is Christmas Eve so first and foremost – a very Merry Christmas to you and your family.

It’s not a day that you usually think too long or hard about football but 15 years ago today Notre Dame was putting a bow on the 2008 season with an appearance in the Hawaii Bowl.

The game came after a disappointing season for Notre Dame. After starting 2-0 and at one point being 4-1, the Irish stumbled down the stretch and finished the regular season just 6-6.

Often times that would have meant Notre Dame turning down a bowl game. Well, it just so happened that a trip to Hawai’i for a bowl game meant another chance to try and recruit then mega-prospect [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag].

Was it the only reason Notre Dame accepted the invitation? Certainly not, but it clearly helped their chances with the star linebacker, too.

Anyway, back to the game. Notre Dame hadn’t won a bowl game since New Year’s Day 1994 at this time, having lost nine-straight. Notre Dame came out on Christmas Eve with their names on their jerseys for the first time in decades, and proceeded to roll Hawai’i, 49-21.

Check out some of the highlights below:

It would set the table for what many thought would be a big 2009 season for Notre Dame but unfortunately the Irish would again finish just 6-6, Charlie Weis would be fired, and a bowl game wouldn’t be in the cards.

Regardless, for roughly three-and-a-half hours that Christmas Eve, seemingly everything regarding Notre Dame football was right during an era that it almost always certainly wasn’t.

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Running down LSU’s history at the Citrus Bowl ahead of matchup vs. Purdue

This will be the sixth time LSU has played in the Citrus Bowl, tying for the most of any program.

The Tigers aren’t quite where they wanted to be in the postseason after back-to-back losses to end the regular season cost them a shot at the College Football Playoff or New Year’s Six.

Still, at 9-4 in Year 1 under [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], LSU can’t complain too much about its season or its bowl destination. The team draws Purdue in the Citrus Bowl, one of the most prestigious non-NY6 games.

Played under a number of different names over the years, the Citrus Bowl has existed in some capacity since 1947. This year’s appearance will be LSU’s sixth in the game, tying for the most of any program. It’s the Tigers’ first Citrus Bowl appearance since 2018, and they’re 2-3 all-time in this game.

Here’s how prior contests in this game have gone for LSU.

Notre Dame bowl projections following win over Navy

Is there a Mayo dumping in Marcus Freeman’s future?

Where will Notre Dame be headed this postseason? It seems like the answer to that question is one of two places. Either out west to take on a Pac-12 opponent in a bowl game the Irish have never participated in before, or to Jacksonville to take on an SEC foe in a game Notre Dame hasn’t played in since the conclusion of Tyrone Willingham’s first season as head coach.

However, there are a couple of others to put into the mix and one or two that we’ll file under the category of “I’ll have what he’s having”. Check out the latest bowl projections for Notre Dame from the national prognosticators below.

Notre Dame bowl game projections following BYU win

Which of these do you hope Notre Dame ends up in?

Notre Dame earned a hard fought victory over previously 16th ranked BYU on Saturday and is knocking on the door of entering the top 25. While there is work left to do on that there is a wide array of post-season destinations the Irish will ultimately play in under first year head coach Marcus Freeman.

It’s a weird year in that the range of games the experts are predicting at this point of the year call for some highly regarded programs as opponents, but some destinations that would probably leave you a bit disappointed.

Here are the eight experts predictions of where Notre Dame will go bowling this winter.

Tom Herman Makes Texas Longhorns History

Head coach of the Texas Longhorns Tom Herman made history for the school Tuesday night in San Antonio.

When the Texas Longhorns came calling before the 2017 season for Tom Herman, the school was hoping that he could rekindle some of their magic they had lost since the days of Mack Brown and before him the legendary Darrell K. Royal.

After going 22-4 in two seasons where Herman led teams were perfect at home (14-0), against AP ranked teams (6-0) and against power five conference teams (5-0). It was feeling a bit like Texas made the right hire in terms of putting the Longhorns back on the map in the college football landscape.

While the Longhorns have made some strides, it feels like they are just on the brink of getting to where they want to be. Their recruiting classes have been some of the best in the nation so this year is likely going to be a season that really puts the pressure on Herman to get his guys to win the conference and fight for a National Title.

Even though there have been some growing pains, with the Alamo Bowl victory, Tom Herman became the first head coach of Texas to win his first three bowl games since 1942. He has a ways to go to match the likes of Royal or Brown but Herman is on the right road.

Texas Coaches in First Three Bowls:

Tom Herman (3-0)

Dana Bible (2-0-1)

Blair Cherry (2-1)

Fred Akers (1-2)

John Mackovic (1-2)

Mack Brown (1-2)

Darrell K. Royal (0-2-1)