Bowl projections and predictions 2023: What bowl game is Notre Dame playing in?
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won nine games in 2023 and are now looking forward to finding out which bowl game they're going to be headed for this winter.
The 2023 campaign had ups and downs. Sam Hartman and company were agonizingly close to pulling off a massive upset over Ohio State. However, they let that one slip away and also lost to Louisville and Clemson. On the plus side, they trounced USC while making Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams look pedestrian. They also knocked off NC State and Duke on the road.
Now Marcus Freeman's squad awaits their next opponent.
Notre Dame bowl projections: Fighting Irish expected to play in ReliaQuest Bowl
Multiple bowl projections have the Fighting Irish in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) and facing an SEC opponent.
ESPN's Mark Schlabach and 247Sports Brad Crawford each think that opponent will be LSU.
The LSU matchup is certainly the most juicy on the table. The Tigers poached head coach Brian Kelly from Notre Dame two years ago. The two meeting in a bowl game creates some high stakes for both sides.
However, Sporting News projects the opponent to be Ole Miss instead.
Of course, the ReliaQuest Bowl is not a certainty for Notre Dame. There are still a couple of projections that put the Irish in the Pop-Tart Bowl facing Oklahoma State. However, that is a less popular option from Jerry Palm of CBS and Kyle Bonagura of ESPN.
ReliaQuest Bowl recent history
- 2023: Mississippi State over Illinois, 19-10
- 2022: Arkansas over Penn State, 24-10
- 2021: Ole Miss over Indiana, 26-20
- 2020: Minnesota over Auburn, 31-24
- 2019: Iowa over Mississippi State, 27-22
The Outback Bowl became the ReliaQuest Bowl last season as Mississippi State took on Illinois in an emotional affair. The Bulldogs were mourning the loss of head coach Mike Leach from his sudden death on Dec. 12 and managed to will their way to victory under heavy circumstances.
Notre Dame has never played in the ReliaQuest Bowl or it's previous iterations.
Notre Dame bowl game recent history
- 2022: Gator Bowl vs. South Carolina — W 45-38
- 2021: Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma State — L 37-35
- 2020: Rose Bowl (CFP) vs. Alabama — L 31-14
- 2019: Camping World Bowl vs. Iowa State — W 33-9
- 2018: Cotton Bowl (CFP) vs. Clemson — L 30-3
The Irish have gone to a bowl game in six straight seasons and in 12 of the last 13 years.
Last year, they got back on the winning side of things after losing their previous two bowl games, however, they missed out on a New Year's Six berth.
When is the ReliaQuest Bowl? Date, time, location, TV info
The ReliaQuest Bowl will kick off in Tampa, Florida on Monday, Jan. 1 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.