Notre Dame will look to end a long-time streak of stumbling in big bowl games when they clash with last season’s national champion’s the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl. The Irish will be the healthiest they’ve been in some time with key faces such as Jarron Jones and Durham Smythe returning from long absences. The Buckeyes are the deepest and most talented team Notre Dame will face this season so it will take a mistake free effort to come out on top. There are NFL-caliber matchups all over the field with two of college football’s premier programs meeting and the following will go a long way in deciding the game:
Jaylon Smith versus Ezekiel Elliott
In one of the best matchups in all of bowl season Butkus award winner Jaylon Smith will face-off with Ezekiel Elliott.