Notre Dame-Hawaii: College Football Pick'em Hawaii Bowl

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been less than impressive this season to say the very least. Never mind the 11-1 prediction from Lou Holtz at the beginning of the season (why does that man have a job?)—the Irish made all the wrong moves in the football season this year, and they earned their 6-6 record and a trip to a pre-Christmas Day bowl game.

There is no doubt that the Notre Dame football program is in turmoil, and in many ways the Hawaii Bowl is a must win situation for head coach Charlie Weis.

Going into the Hawaii Bowl, Notre Dame has had very little to cheer about. The Irish lost four out of their last five, with the only win coming in a nail-biter of a game against Navy. In addition, one-time offensive guru Charlie Weis has watched his pro-style offense come to a grinding halt during the second half of the season.

Quarterback Jimmy Clausen played some terrible football coming down the stretch, throwing eight interceptions to just two touchdowns in the final half of the season. There is no doubt the Irish need something to jump-start their offense going into this bowl game. Perhaps the long trip and the warm weather will reenergize a team that seemed to have lost faith in itself.

On the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame is not that bad. They run a 3-4 scheme that tends to be very aggressive, and they look to make plays. While still being very young on the defensive side of the ball, this is where the Irish have found success all season. Their linebackers and their secondary have developed quickly under new defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta.

There is no doubt they will face an all-new test when they take on Hawaii. Granted, the Hawaii offense does not generate the numbers they were famous for just a year ago, but they still take their shots down the field. You can expect them to test the Notre Dame secondary early in an effort to find in holes in their armor.

The spread has Notre Dame favored by a slim two-point margin, which makes this a Pick’em game for all intents and purposes. However, here are a couple factors to remember when looking at this game.

The Hawaii Bowl will be the only game where one team is without a doubt a road team, and that will be Notre Dame. Playing in Hawaii can be very difficult—not only are the crowds hostile, but you can bet that for the majority of the Notre Dame players, they will be seeing and experiencing things they have only seen in movies or read about in books. Playing in Hawaii gives players absolutely no familiar surroundings to cling to.

In addition, the Fighting Irish are in the midst of a nine-game bowl losing streak. That’s right—the Irish have not played good football in the postseason, and it does not matter who the head coach has been. Granted, many of those losses came as a result of Notre Dame being placed in BCS games that they had no business playing in. The Hawaii Bowl places the Irish in a game that is on their level.

Unfortunately, Hawaii is thinking the same thing when they look across the ball at those golden domes lined up against them. Look for Hawaii to defend their home turf and knock off Notre Dame by covering the two-point spread.

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