The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a very turbulent bowl history, but one of the most common themes (outside of losing big bowl games) is that they seem to draw the same opponents.
Notre Dame has played in 35 bowl games in its long history. Only 35, you say? Well, yes - the Irish played in one bowl game in 1925, and then refused to play in another bowl game for 45 years because of a school policy that had to do with the academic calendar.
The first bowl game Notre Dame ever played in was the 1925 Rose Bowl - the grandaddy of them all.