Notre Dame to the Champs Sports Bowl: A Guide to the matchup vs. Florida State

Bowl season is finally upon us, and the Fighting Irish find themselves paired with the Florida State Seminoles in the annual Champs Sports Bowl.

Both teams began the season with legitimate BCS aspirations, but those dreams were crushed in the season's first few weeks for the once traditional powers.

The game will be the first meeting of these schools since Florida State routed Notre Dame 37-0 in South Bend on November 1, 2003.

How do Notre Dame and Florida State stack up?

Find out as we preview the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl.

Bowl Information

Date: December 29

Time: 5:30 p.m. EST

Payout: $2,325,000

TV: ESPN

Location: Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)

2010 Result: North Carolina State 23, West Virginia 7

Notes: Florida State's lone appearance in the Champs Sports Bowl was a 42-13 victory over Wisconsin on December 27, 2008.

Notre Dame's Strength

If there's one strength that should be given some recognition, it's the offensive line.

Despite a poor showing against Stanford, the big boys up front have paved the way for a rushing offense that finished the season eight yards shy of 2,000.

However, it's the line's protection of the quarterback that has gained it the most respect. The unit finished the season ranked sixth nationally in sacks allowed at 13, good for 1.08 sacks per game.

Unfortunately for Brian Kelly's offense, starting center Braxston Cave went down with a season-ending left foot injury against Wake Forest on November 5th. Mike Golic, Jr. has filled in admirably in Cave's absence, but the extent to which the line misses Cave's leadership is quite obvious.

The offensive line will face its biggest challenge to date in the Champs Sports Bowl against a Florida State defensive line that is regarded by many as one the nation's best.

Florida State's Strength

Jimbo Fisher's squad has made no secret of what its strength is. The defensive front seven is, perhaps, the best in the nation.

Defensive tackles Timmy Jernigan and Everett Dawkins form the interior of the defensive line and have made runs up the middle nearly impossible for opposing running backs all season.

Lining up behind those behemoth defensive tackles is a group of stud linebackers led by the team's leading tackler Nigel Bradham.

This lethal front seven has combined to give the Seminoles the nation's second-ranked rush defense, allowing an average of 81.8 rushing yards per game.

But that's not the most terrifying aspect of this group. What is? Six of these seven players are set to return next season. Here's to hoping Notre Dame doesn't run into this defense next season.

Without Jonas Gray available, Notre Dame starting running back Cierre Wood will have his plate full against this heat-seeking rush defense.

Notre Dame's Weakness

There's no debate as to what Notre Dame's most glaring weakness is. To be concise, the Irish punt return unit has been abysmal this season.

How abysmal, you may ask? Brian Kelly's squad had three punt return yards through 12 regular-season games. That's no typo. You didn't misread that stat. Three punt return yards on the season.

It's only going to get worse against Florida State, as Seminole punter Shawn Powell leads the nation in punting, at an average of 47 yards per punt.

The Irish will be clearly overmatched in the field position game, so it's critical that the offense gets out of the shadow of its own goalpost.

Florida State's Weakness

Florida State's offense certainly hasn't been helped by its line, whatsoever. 

The unit has failed to protect the quarterback all season, ranking 106th nationally in sacks allowed at 35. It doesn't end there, either.

The line has struggled with run blocking for the better part of 12 games, resulting in the Seminoles claiming the nation's 99th-ranked rushing offense.

Notre Dame should have no problem exposing Florida State's mediocre offensive line.

The Irish defensive line should be salivating. Defensive end Aaron Lynch is likely to have a field day against the team he was once committed to.

How Notre Dame Got Here

As I mentioned in the intro slide, Notre Dame began the current season with the attitude of "BCS or bust." That attitude changed drastically after the season's first two games. 

The Irish fell to an 0-2 record after soul-crushing losses to South Florida and Michigan to begin the season.

Yet, Brian Kelly and Co. were able to reel of four consecutive victories following the disappointing start.

With a record of 4-2 and momentum on its side, Notre Dame welcomed arch-rival USC to South Bend for the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium in 21 years. What could have been a statement win turned out to be a statement loss for the Irish, after a 31-17 defeat at the hands of the Trojans.

Following that loss, the Irish reeled off four consecutive victories for the second time this season, bringing their record to 8-3. The team also earned a ranking of 22nd in the BCS standings leading up to its game at Stanford.

Another chance at a statement win was denied in Palo Alto after Andrew Luck and the Cardinal asserted their dominance over the Irish.

Notre Dame ended its season on that note, bringing its overall record to 8-4.

How Florida State Got Here

Like Notre Dame, Florida State began its seasons with expectations to be joining the BCS party. Those expectations seemed realistic to begin the season, after dominating Louisiana-Monroe and Charleston Southern in Weeks 1 and 2.

Then, at the time, top-ranked Oklahoma came to Tallahassee in one of the most-hyped matchups of the young season.

The Sooners walked away with a 23-13 victory, effectively pushing Florida State out of the hunt for the national championship.

The negative effects of that loss stuck with the Seminoles for too long, as the team went on to lose its next two games to Clemson and Wake Forest. By that time, fans were already looking ahead to 2012.

However, the team regrouped and managed to win six of its next seven games, with the lone loss coming at home to an upstart Virginia squad.

The season ended with a 21-7 victory over rival Florida, bringing Jimbo Fisher's squad to 8-4.

Notre Dame's Key Player

Notre Dame's best player is, without a doubt, wide receiver Michael Floyd. The argument can be made that Floyd is the nation's best receiver.

The 6'3", 224-pound product out of St. Paul, Minnesota, has posted back-to-back seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards. 2011 has been Floyd's best season in South Bend, with 95 receptions for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns.

The senior can be considered the best receiver in school history, as Floyd has shattered a multitude of school receiving records.

On the field, Floyd's size makes him a matchup nightmare for cornerbacks.

He'll be the most talented receiver Florida State has seen all season.

Florida State's Key Player

Seminole quarterback E.J. Manuel is Florida State's big man on campus. The former 4-star prospect out of Virginia Beach, Virginia runs the show for the Seminole offense.

Manuel is the ideal dual-threat quarterback at 6'5" and 245 pounds. He's inaccurate at times but has done a decent job of passing the ball this season, completing 183-of-280 pass attempts for 2,417 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Manuel is dangerous with his feet, as well. He has accumulated 163 yards on the ground this season, including four rushing touchdowns.

If Notre Dame can exploit Florida State's weak offensive line, Manuel may end up on his back a few times on December 29 in Orlando.

Prediction

While neither team's season went as expected, Florida State vs. Notre Dame should still be an exciting matchup.

Both teams have a tremendous amount of talent, especially with each team having great recruiting success lately.

This game will come down to whether or not Notre Dame can move the ball on the ground against Florida State's elite rush defense. If not, it's likely to be a long day for the Irish.

On the other hand, Notre Dame's defense can make things difficult for the Seminoles if it can expose Florida State's offensive line.

Those two scenarios are pointing toward a potential defensive slug fest.

Prediction: Florida State 20, Notre Dame 17