Skip to main content

Fiesta Bowl Capsule

  • Author:
  • Publish date:

No. 7 Ohio State (11-1, Big Ten) vs. No. 8 Notre Dame (12-2, Independent) at Glendale, Arizona, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Line: Oho State by 6.

Series record: Ohio State leads 3-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Two teams that were in the mix for a College Football Playoff late in the season try to close on a winning note. With numerous potential NFL players on both rosters, it could be one of the most exciting games of the bowl season.

KEY MATCHUP

Ohio State DE Joey Bosa vs. Notre Dame T Ronnie Stanley. The Buckeyes like to move Bosa around, so he won't be going head to head with Stanley on every play, but pay attention when they do. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said on Thursday that Bosa will skip his senior season and declare for the NFL draft, where he has been projected as the No. 1 pick in some mock drafts. Stanley is an athletic 6-foot-5, 315 pounder who could be a top-10 pick.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Oho State: RB Ezekiel Elliott. The junior will be playing his last game for the Buckeyes after announcing he will skip his senior year and declare for the NFL draft. He had a superb final season, rushing for 1,672 yards and 19 touchdowns, and will want to go out with a bang in the Fiesta Bowl.

Notre Dame: WR Will Fuller. A second-team All-American, Fuller is Notre Dame's most explosive player. The speedy junior averaged 20.5 yards per catch this season, finishing with 1,145 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had seven TD catches of at least 45 yards.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish are meeting as top-10 teams for the third straight time; the others were 2006 and 1996. ... Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett has accounted for 19 TDs in his past six games. ... Notre Dame's Romeo Okwara has eight sacks. ... Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer is 9-2 in bowl games. ... Notre Dame is 17-17 in bowl games, appearing in 16 different bowls.

---

AP College Football website: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org