Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Fiesta Bowl brings together elite programs for marquee matchup

Published Dec. 31, 2015 1:41 p.m. ET

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GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Ohio State and Notre Dame entered the season with legitimate national championship hopes and were still in the mix for the College Football Playoff late in the year.

To have those hopes dashed, particularly after coming so close, was a huge disappointment for both programs.

It worked out pretty well for the Fiesta Bowl with a marquee matchup that's as good as any outside of the three playoff games.

And, despite falling short of their main objectives, the seventh-ranked Buckeyes and eighth-ranked Fighting Irish insist they're excited to be in the desert.

Ohio State (11-1) vs. Notre Dame (12-2)

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale

When: 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Line: Oho State by 6.

Series record: Ohio State leads 3-2.

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. Bosa is a superb pass rusher who has been projected in some mock drafts as the No. 1 overall pick in next year's NFL draft. 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.

It's going to be a great bowl game," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. "Two traditional powers, Notre Dame and Ohio State, that are a couple plays away from playing for a national championship. There is no place better than to play it than in Glendale."

Well, the Orange and Cotton bowls might be a little better, but these teams came up just short.

Ohio State (11-1) was the defending national champion and spent the season's first 10 weeks at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 despite inconsistent play by its quarterbacks.

The Buckeyes were still in the coveted top four of the CFB rankings despite dropping behind Clemson in the poll, but lost to Michigan State on a last-second field goal in their penultimate game. All the teams ahead of them won on the final weekend, leaving them behind fellow one-loss teams Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan State in the playoff pecking order.

Ohio State finished No. 7 in the final CFB rankings.

Notre Dame (10-2) fell four points short of its playoff bid despite a litany of injuries.

The Fighting Irish were still in the playoff picture after a two-point loss to top-ranked Clemson on Oct. 3, but fell out after another two-point loss to Stanford on No. 28. Notre Dame finished No. 8 in the final CFP rankings.

One big dream gone, but Notre Dame, like Ohio State, is not taking this game lightly.

"I think every bowl game, it's a playoff game now," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "Somebody is going to finish fifth in the final polls. That's a spring board for next year. These are important games."

A few more things to look for when Ohio State meets Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, Friday at University of Phoenix Stadium:

IRISH RETURING: Notre Dame had a long string of injuries, including several to key players. A few of those players are set to return for Friday's game. Nose tackle Jarron Jones and tight end Durham Smythe were both originally expected to be out for the season after suffering knee injuries, but returned to practice this month. Running back C.J. Prosise, out since injuring his ankle Boston College on Nov. 21, is expected to be back, as are linebacker James Onwualu (knee) and junior cornerback Devin Butler (concussion).

BUCKEYES QBs: Ohio State went through a season-long quarterback carousel as it tried to find consistency at the position. Cardale Jones opened the season as the starter after rising from third-stringer to guide the Buckeyes to last season's national championship. After seven inconsistent games, he was replaced by J.T. Barrett, who started four games and was suspended for another after a drunken driving charge. Barrett remains the starter heading into the Fiesta Bowl, but don't be surprised if Jones doesn't see plenty of action in his final game before heading to the NFL.

KIZER SHINES: Notre Dame suffered what seemed to be a huge blow when starting quarterback Malik Zaire suffered a season-ending ankle injury the second game of the season. Sophomore DeShone Kizer made sure the Irish didn't miss a step, throwing for 2,600 yards and 19 touchdowns -- with nine interceptions -- while adding 499 yards and nine more touchdowns rushing.

TALENT LOAD: The Fiesta Bowl might be the bowl with the most talented players. The game will feature numerous NFL prospects, including seven who could be first-round picks in next year's draft: Ohio State DE Joey Bosa, Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame T Ronnie Stanley, Ohio State T Taylor Decker, Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State WR Michael Thomas, Ohio State LB Darron Lee.

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