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Game Thread Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20 (final)

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jwinslow said:
Now i have a dilemna. I will be in ohio for a new years party. Afterwards, do I join buckeye nation in cbus for the game, or drive my fiancee back to her parent's home and rub it in her ND-dad's face (oh yes, she'll be wearing my #7 jersey and block O earrings)?someone suggested that the higher ranked team chooses... no need to challenge tradition. now I can get started on an accurate wallpaper :tongue2:
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Wow! It sounds like your fiancee is really coming around!

I had no idea that scUM highlight video would have such a profound impact!!! :biggrin:
 
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haha, we're not there yet. but she gladly supports her man, especially if she can stick it to her dad. The best part is he also likes TSUN, so I can rub it in his face twice in one year.
 
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yep, we'll get married later this summer once he realizes the undeniable dominance of the buckeyes over his teams and hands over his daughter to become one for life.
 
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Not sure if this has been posted, b/c I only read through about 8 pages, and had enough, but we opened as a 6.5 pt. favorite.

I think that would be about right.

The matchup I am really looking forward to seeing is wheter or not Walker will be able to put up rushing yards, and how much pressure we will get on Quinn. I think our O-line can dominate on O', but the other battle is going to be our D-line against their O-line.
 
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some early writeups
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2248302
Fiesta Bowl to feature two traditional powers


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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->TEMPE, Ariz. -- Matching Ohio State against Notre Dame ended up being an easy decision for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

The Buckeyes will be making their third appearance at Sun Devil Stadium in four years. Notre Dame returns to the Bowl Championship Series at the site of its last appearance five years ago, and its last national title in 1989.

Leading up to college football's Selection Sunday, it was practically a foregone conclusion that the Fiesta Bowl would select the Fighting Irish, but there was much speculation about whether Ohio State or Oregon would be the opponent.

Ultimately, there was really no choice to be made.

The Buckeyes finished fourth in the final BCS standings, earning an automatic spot in the four big-money bowl games. The Irish also qualified automatically by finishing sixth. In the end, there were no at-large bids available for Oregon (10-1).

"There are other great teams who unquestionably deserve to be in, but there's a limited number of bowl spots available, which makes playing in a BCS bowl game special," Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker said.

Oregon's only loss was to Southern California, but the Irish played the top-ranked Trojans even tougher, winning their last five games after falling 34-31 to USC, when Matt Leinart pushed into the end zone in the final seconds.

Notre Dame also dropped a 44-41 contest in overtime to Michigan State on Sept. 17.

Ohio State (9-2) won its last six after a 17-10 loss at Penn State on Oct. 8, costing it the Big Ten tiebreaker against the Nittany Lions when that came into play at the end of the season. The Buckeyes other loss was a 25-22 decision to Texas, which will play USC for the national crown, on Sept. 10.

"Our goal is always to have a chance to play in the national championship game ... and the second goal is a BCS game," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said.

He added, "I think there will be as many people watching," the Fiesta Bowl as the Rose Bowl.

Junker acknowledged that it was unusual for a team to play in a major bowl three times in four years.

"But the research we did and the people we talked to, it was very clear that if there was an exception it would be to match up these two programs, and there's no question that the economic impact on the Valley [of the Sun] and the state of Arizona would be huge," Junker said.

Arizona's history as a refuge for people from the Midwest seeking a warmer, drier climate did nothing but add to the attractiveness of the matchup.

Notre Dame, which beat the Buckeyes in 1935-36 and lost to them in 1995-96, was an obvious choice. Under first-year coach Charlie Weis, the Irish improved from a regular-season 6-5 in 2004 to 9-2. Notre Dame's No. 5 ranking is its highest at the end of the regular season since the Irish were fourth heading into the bowls in 1993.

"They certainly have come a long way from walking off the field last year and ending up 6-6," Weis said.

The Buckeyes feature one of the nation's toughest defenses, led by stellar linebackers A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter.

"I've seen them on TV a bunch," Weis went on. "I haven't seen any videotape of them yet, that's yet to come, but some things that obviously stand out are a very dominant defense and a very exciting offense and they improved as the year went on."

Notre Dame's revival has been led by an Ohioan. Quarterback Brady Quinn completed 65 percent of his passes this season with 32 touchdowns passes and only seven interceptions.

"Brady was a great high school quarterback and we were very interested in him coming here," Tressel said. "He's done a great job. He took the opportunities at Notre Dame and has grown with them."

Notre Dame has lost seven straight bowl games, including the Insight Bowl in Phoenix last season after coach Tyrone Willingham had been fired.

"That's something that obviously needs to end," Quinn said of the losing streak. "It's been going on far too long. That is one of our goals, ending that streak."

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http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9077250
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Another bowl in Arizona -- but this one's sweeter for Irish

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10></TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD noWrap>Dec. 4, 2005
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
</TD><TD width=10></TD><TD align=right><SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--//var dclkFeaturesponsor='http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/sponsorships.spln.com/fs/stories/'+vTag+';'+vTarget+';'+uID+';sz=234x42;tile=5;ord='+random+'?';if (switchDclk != 'off') { if (location.search.substring(1).indexOf('DCLK')>-1) document.write('<input type="text" value="'+dclkFeaturesponsor+'" style="width:">
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</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid" width=5></TD><TD><NOBR></NOBR></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- T9077250 --><!-- Sesame Modified: 12/04/2005 20:57:50 --><!-- sversion: 3 $Updated: lylec$ -->[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- <A href="http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/teams/page/ND" target=_blank>Notre Dame cashed in Sunday on its turnaround season under first-year coach Charlie Weis, accepting an invitation worth at least $14 million to play <A href="http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/teams/page/OHST" target=_blank>Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]The fourth-ranked Buckeyes (9-2) clinched an automatic berth by finishing fourth in the Bowl Championship Series standings, while the Fighting Irish (9-2) clinched an automatic berth by finishing sixth. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]It will be the first time the fifth-ranked Irish have face the Buckeyes since a 29-16 loss in 1996, when the Irish were also ranked No. 5 and Ohio State was also No. 4. The teams have played four times. Notre Dame won the first two games in 1935-36 and the Buckeyes won in 1995-96. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]The No. 5 ranking is Notre Dame's highest to end the regular season since being No. 4 with a 10-1 record in 1993. The Irish beat No. 7 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl that season and finished ranked No. 2 behind Florida State. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]That was the last time the Irish finished a season ranked in the top 10 and the last time they won a bowl game. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Since then, the Irish have lost seven straight bowl games: the Fiesta Bowl to end the 1994 and 2000 seasons, the Orange Bowl to end the 1995 season, the Independence Bowl to end the 1997 season, the Gator Bowl to end the 1998 and 2002 seasons, and the Insight Bowl in Phoenix last year. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]But the Irish head back to Arizona this year under drastically different circumstances. Two days after accepting the Insight Bowl invitation last year, Notre Dame fired coach Tyrone Willingham. Players said they weren't sure they wanted to play in the game, but ultimately voted to play and try to win in honor of Willingham. They lost 38-21 to Oregon State, with the offense struggling as it had for three straight years under Willingham. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]A year later, the Irish are thrilled to be heading back to Arizona. Instead of heading to the bowl with an interim coach -- as they did last year under Kent Baer -- the Irish have a coach who in October signed a 10-year contract extension and promises the Irish won't be one-year wonders. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]During the announcement of the BCS matchups, Weis was asked whether he expected the Irish to be so good so fast. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]"We hoped that to be the case," he said. "I think it's a great tribute to our coaching staff and our players that they were able to turn it around that fast." [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]The Irish will receive at least $14 million for earning the Fiesta Bowl berth -- their last time receiving the same amount a conference earns for having a BCS team. Starting next year, the Irish will receive the same amount a conference receives for placing a second team in the BCS -- about $4.5 million. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Under the agreement, though, the Irish also will receive about $1.3 million from the BCS even if it doesn't advance to a BCS game. Under the current rules, the Irish received no money from the BCS in years it didn't advance to a BCS game. [/FONT]

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http://collegefootballnews.com/2005/Bowls/Bowl_Beautiful.htm
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2, 4:30 pm ET ABC … Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
The Eva Longoria, or, the obvious reason why this is beautiful: While Texas vs. USC will get all the hype, this will be a close number two. They’ve only played four times, with the last meeting in 1996 with the Buckeyes winning 29-16. By far, this will be the best defense Notre Dame faced all year, while Ohio State has to prove it can handle the high-octane Irish passing attack.
The "but she has a good personality,” or, the inner beauty: Notre Dame is 2-2 against Ohio State winning two straight … in 1935 and 1936. Charlie Weis can put his stamp on a historical win by getting past the Buckeyes, and it could do wonders in recruiting in the Midwest. Ohio State has been fantastic all year with only losses to Penn State and Texas, while Notre Dame can prove once and for all that it’s for real.
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CFBN best bowls
http://collegefootballnews.com/2005/Bowls/Bowl_Rankings.htm
2. [FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif][SIZE=-1]Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2, 4:30 pm ET ABC … Notre Dame vs. Ohio State[FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif]
[/FONT]Notre Dame vs. Arkansas State would probably get the highest TV ratings outside of the Rose Bowl, much less a showdown with the Buckeyes. The Irish offense gets its toughest test all year, while Ohio State’s offense will see if it can hang punch-for-punch with the Irish passing game. Yeah, the Buckeyes should have way too much on both sides of the ball for the Irish, but it’s Ohio State vs. Notre Dame. You have to watch.
Stars of the show: 1) Brady Quinn, QB Notre Dame, 2) A.J. Hawk, LB Ohio State, 3) Jeff Samardzija, WR Notre Dame
The knee jerk, off-the-cuff, initial prediction: Ohio State 38 … Notre Dame 20[/SIZE][/FONT]
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CFBN initial thoughts
http://collegefootballnews.com/2005/Columnists/MZ/Bowls.htm
Fiesta: Notre Dame-Ohio State

Being the quarterback of a good Notre Dame team, Brady Quinn will get most of the publicity and buzz heading into this game. But as in each game the Buckeyes play, it's Troy Smith who will be the first, second, third, fourth and fifth key to this game. If Troy Boy brings his A-game, the Irish can forget about being competitive. But if Smith turns the ball over a few times--as he's prone to do--Notre Dame will maximize momentum and take this game right down to the wire. If fans in Auburn, Eugene and elsewhere want to be happy on the night of Jan. 2, they'll want to become members of the Troy Smith Fan Club.
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and the slant out of columbus
http://dispatch.com/football/football.php?story=151905&chck=t

College football
It’s official: Buckeyes to meet Irish in Fiesta Bowl
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch
Sunday, December 4, 2005 7:43 PM

For Ohio State, making any Bowl Championship Series game would have been nice, linebacker A.J. Hawk said tonight, but getting to go against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2, that's history.
Short of earning a berth in the national championship game, it's the matchup the Buckeyes wanted, going against a Notre Dame program revitalized in one season by coach Charlie Weis.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't," said Hawk, a senior All-America linebacker. "Any time you get the chance to play a team like this -- I've never played Notre Dame, and I understand this will be only the fifth time these teams have played. This is a matchup I'm happy to be a part of."
Ohio State (9-2), co-champion of the Big Ten, went into the weekend sweating out whether it would be invited as an at-large team. Those worries disappeared when Virginia Tech and Louisiana State were upset last night. As it turned out, the Buckeyes were guaranteed a spot because they finished fourth in the final BCS ratings, and Notre Dame (9-2) earned the same guarantee when it finished sixth.
But the Fiesta still had to put the game together. It had the first pick of the at-large teams, and it chose Notre Dame. The Orange followed by taking Big Ten automatic qualifier Penn State and matching it with tie-in team Atlantic Coast champion Florida State, thus pitting FSU's Bobby Bowden, the winningest major college coach, against Joe Paterno, the second winningest.
The Fiesta came back and chose Ohio State, even though it means the third trip to that bowl in four years for the Buckeyes, who won the 2002 national championship over Miami there. But Fiesta executive director John Junker had hinted last week it would be hard to pass on a meeting of two storied programs who had met just four times, with each owning two wins (Notre Dame in 1935 and '36; Ohio State in 1995 and '96).
OSU senior guard Rob Sims understands Junker's thinking.
"I think this is a game everybody really wanted to see," Sims said.
He said it's a feather in the cap for the Buckeyes, whose early season losses to No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Penn State knocked them out of the national championship hunt.
"But we are part of the nation's elite," Sims said. "We knew that going into the season. It didn't work out quite like we wanted it to, but this is the next best thing, and I'm excited about it."
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