[bigboydan]

**Fiesta Bowl, Notre Dame vs. Ohio State**



-- Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. will be the host of the first of four Bowl Championship Series games on Monday in the Fiesta Bowl. ABC offers national coverage of this afternoon game, which kicks at 4:30 p.m. EST.



-- Ohio State and Notre Dame haven’t squared off since the Buckeyes dropped the Fighting Irish 29-16 in South Bend as a three-point favorite. The all-time series is locked at 2-2.



-- Oddsmakers opened OSU as a five-point favorite, with the total listed at 55. Notre Dame can be cashed on the money line at plus-165 (Bet $100 to win $165) for the outright win. The Irish are 3-0 on the year when tabbed as underdogs.



-- The Buckeyes (9-2 straight up, 8-3 against the spread) will be making its third trip to the Fiesta Bowl in the last four years. OSU is 2-0 both SU and ATS in visits to the desert, including a national championship victory in 2002 against Miami, Fl., 31-24.

-- Notre Dame (9-2 SU, 7-4 ATS) enters this game with seven consecutive losses in bowl games, including three straight setbacks by double-digits in the postseason. The Fighting Irish are 1-6 ATS during this seven-game bowl losing streak.



-- The key matchup in this game will be ND’s explosive offense (38 PPG, 489 YPG) against Ohio State’s stout defense (14.8 PPG, 275 YPG).



-- The Irish are led by quarterback Brady Quinn, who finished the regular season with 3,633 yards and 32 touchdowns, while completing 65 percent of his passes. The dynamic duo of Jeff Samardzija (1,190 yards, 15 TDs) and Maurice Stovall (60 receptions, 1,023 yards) has complimented Quinn very nicely.



-- Ohio State is known for its menacing defense, but the Buckeyes’ offense has been on a serious roll as well. Quarterback Troy Smith has come into his own, completing 62 percent of his passes for 1,940 yards and 14 scores. The athletic junior has also added 545 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.



-- Even though both teams have two losses a piece, you can make a fair argument that both of these teams are just as good as No. 1 Southern California and No. 2 Texas. The Irish’s losses have come by a combined six points, including a last second loss to the mighty Trojans (34-31). OSU has been just as fortunate with setbacks against the aforementioned Longhorns (25-22) and No. 3 Penn State (17-10).



-- ND’s head coach Charlie Weis has done nothing wrong in his inaugural season in South Bend. The former New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator has brought the school back to its first BCS bowl game since 2000, which in turn earned Weis a contract extension.



-- Weis receives a lot of attention due to the resurgence of ND, but the Buckeyes’ Jim Tressel is no slouch. Tressel has already won a national championship (see above) and is an impressive 3-1 both SU and ATS in bowl games.



-- Notre Dame is 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS versus bowl eligible teams this year, while OSU is 4-2 both SU and ATS.



-- The Irish haven’t lost a game outside of South Bend this year, going 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS. Ohio State is 3-1 both SU and ATS on the road.

[Illusion]

I have some huge coin on the Irish today. Good luck everybody.

[bigboydan]

i like OSU in this game