Notre Dame Bowl Projection: Predicting Where the Irish Will Go Bowling

Following their loss last week against Stanford, the Irish' dreams of a BCS berth were all but done. Even with the chaos that ensued today, it remains that way.

Instead, Notre Dame figures to be a lock for the Champs Sports Bowl. So much so that I haven't read a respectable bowl projection that doesn't have the Irish going to Orlando on the evening of Dec. 29.

Who they play, however, remains up in the air. The Champs Sports Bowl claims to take the third ranked ACC team, but as we've seen in the past, such teams could be passed up for more attractive (read: lucrative) teams with larger fanbases.

With the ACC Championship Game currently unfolding, we won't know who is going to the Orange Bowl and who will be eligible for the Champs Sports Bowl to select.

Notre Dame will have great competition no matter who they play (it will be Virginia Tech, Clemson or Florida State). All of those teams are very athletic with solid defenses.

Notre Dame's forte is passing the ball. That means they would least like to see Florida State, the best pass defense of the three teams (and probably the best defense overall). That said, the Noles probably have the weakest offense of the three, so it comes down to picking your poison.

The Irish will need to have to do a better job establishing a running game if they are going to beat any of the teams. In four losses this season, ND has averaged 103 yards rushing (and that includes 198 against Michigan). In their eight wins, they averaged 197 yards per game rushing.

Again, this could be prove to be difficult. FSU has the second best rushing defense in the nation, behind only Alabama. Virginia Tech ranks ninth, while Clemson ranks 91st.

Irish fans desperately wanted to make a BCS bowl game this season. While they won't get there, they will get a high-quality, big-name opponent in Orlando. FSU and Virginia Tech figure to give the Irish the most problems, while a matchup against Clemson could give the scoreboard a workout.

A win for Notre Dame would give them nine on the season and would double their win total against ranked opponents. Both would go a long way in building confidence for the team entering 2012.