Notre Dame To Face Oklahoma State In The Fiesta Bowl
We now know who Notre Dame will face in the first official game of the Marcus Freeman era. The Fighting Irish (11-1) will face Oklahoma State (11-2) in the Fiesta Bowl, which marks the first game with Freeman as the head coach.
Mike Gundy and the Cowboys were the best Big 12 team in the regular season but came up just an inch short of winning the league championship, falling to Baylor by a 21-16 score. That locked up a Sugar Bowl berth for the Bears and sent Oklahoma State to the Fiesta Bowl against the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame finished the season with an 11-1 record and ranked No. 5 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The Irish won its final seven games of the season, and won their final six games by an average margin of 27.3 points per game.
Oklahoma State won its final five games of the regular season, with four of the five coming by at least 21 points. The Cowboys beat Baylor 24-14 at home during the regular season but obviously lost the rematch in the league title game.
Notre Dame has played in the Fiesta Bowl fives times in its history, with its last three matchups coming against an OSU. The Irish played Ohio State in its last two Fiesta Bowl matchups (2016, 2006) and Oregon State on Jan. 1, 2001. Notre Dame played Colorado in 1995.
The Irish lost all four of those games. Its first Fiesta Bowl matchup, however, was played on Jan. 1, 1989. Notre Dame beat West Virginia 34-21 to secure its most recent national championship.
Oklahoma State is 2-0 all-time in the Fiesta Bowl. The Cowboys beat Stanford 41-38 in 2012 and BYU by a 16-6 score back in 1974.
Notre Dame and Oklahoma State have never faced each other on the football field.
The game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Jan. 1, 2022.
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