Ohio State learned its bowl fate when ESPN announced the Fiesta Bowl matchup with Notre Dame. News of the selection may have conjured happy images of the 2006 Fiesta Bowl for Ohio State fans, but not making the playoff (and not even getting the Rose Bowl) is a disappointment for the program and its fans.
The Irish, meanwhile, are experiencing a disappointment similar to that felt by Ohio State fans and players. This season could have been so much more for the Irish and they know it.
Ohio State and Notre Dame started the season on similar footing. The unanimous preseason No. 1 opened its season at Virginia Tech, a preaseason favorite to win the ACC Coastal. Minus a poor second quarter, the Buckeyes blew the doors off the Hokies in Blacksburg.
Notre Dame opened with Texas, which had entered the 2015 season with high hopes for a second-year improvement under Charlie Strong. Notre Dame waxed the Longhorns, 38-3.
Both programs opened 2015 on a strong note. However, problems that would plague them through the season and preclude a spot in the playoff manifested in their next games.
Ohio State's struggles were mostly on offense, starting with an uninspiring 363 yards against lowly Hawaii. For Notre Dame, injuries started to mount the next week at Virginia. The Irish won, 34-27, in Charlottesville, but lost Malik Zaire for the season to a fractured ankle. Injuries to Durham Smythe and Drue Tranquill followed in short order. All told, the Irish lost additional key players like C.J. Prosise, Tarean Folston, Jarron Jones, and KeiVarae Russell from preseason to now to injuries.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/05 | Texas | W | 38-3 |
| 09/12 | @ Virginia | W | 34-27 |
| 09/19 | Georgia Tech | W | 30-22 |
| 09/26 | Massachusetts | W | 62-27 |
| 10/03 | @ Clemson | L | 24-22 |
| 10/10 | Navy | W | 41-24 |
| 10/17 | Southern California | W | 41-31 |
| 10/31 | @ Temple | W | 24-20 |
| 11/07 | @ Pittsburgh | W | 42-30 |
| 11/14 | Wake Forest | W | 28-7 |
| 11/21 | Boston College [Fenway Park] | W | 19-16 |
| 11/28 | @ Stanford | L | 38-36 |
The Irish struggled to an eight-point win at Georgia Tech before smashing Massachusetts by 35 points. Its fifth game, at Clemson, became the first loss and its first "what if?" moment this season. On a rain-soaked evening, Clemson threatened to blow the doors off the Irish early into the contest. Notre Dame had four turnovers that game and Clemson even took a 21-3 lead into the fourth quarter. However, a 19-point final quarter for the Irish threatened to pull the Irish level with Clemson before the end of regulation. However, a two-point conversion did not follow Torii Hunter Jr.'s touchdown reception from DeShone Kizer.
The Irish, for the meantime, were out the playoff hunt.
Notre Dame flexed more muscle in the second half of its season than it did in the first half. The Irish beat Navy by 17 points, only one of two losses for Navy this season. It hosted and beat USC by 10 points. In both games, DeShone Kizer combined for 37/54 passing for 508 yards, and three touchdowns to just one interception. The Irish even had 392 rushing yards combined as well.
Its next two games came on the road at Temple and at Pittsburgh. Temple was undefeated and Pittsburgh seemed resurgent at the time with just two losses on its record. Notre Dame needed a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Temple but manhandled Pittsburgh in Heinz Field.
A three-touchdown win over Wake Forest followed on what was Notre Dame's final home game of the season, though the Irish were not as dominant at Fenway against Boston College. Notre Dame prevailed, 19-16, against the country's No. 1 total defense, but needed to survive five turnovers and C.J. Prosise's ankle injury.
Still, by this time, Notre Dame was a credible threat to sneak into the playoff. Ohio State had lost to Michigan State. Big XII programs like Baylor and Texas Christian dropped from contention. It was still conceivable that the SEC might not field a representative. If Notre Dame won out and picked up a few breaks along the way, the Irish could be in the playoff like it expected in the preseason.
However, Notre Dame needed to beat the Pac-12 North champion Cardinal in Palo Alto toward that end. The Irish took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter and took a one-point lead again with 30 seconds remaining. However, Stanford's final drive resulted in a Conrad Ukropina game-winning field goal that eliminated the Irish from the playoff for good.
Knowing what we know now, it's still unlikely that Notre Dame would be in the playoff. The Big Ten champion and Oklahoma were already in the field of four while Alabama and Clemson won their respective championship games to keep their spot in the playoff. Still, that loss to Stanford remains an important "what if?" moment for Irish fans.
Ohio State fans worry if this team has already checked out. An 11-1 season did not match Ohio State's lofty expectations. Several key players who are looking to go pro may already have one foot out the door.
Notre Dame fans may worry that too. A 10-2 season, given the extent of attrition before and during the season, is damned impressive, but it falls short of what the Irish thought they were capable of doing with so much of the two-deep returning from last year. Likewise, Irish fans may fear that players like Jaylon Smith, Will Fuller, and KeiVarae Russell (among others) may be thinking about the NFL as well.
The Irish's path to Glendale mirrors Ohio State's route in several aspects. Both returned almost the entire two-deep from last year and both expected to use it to ride into the playoff. However, seasons for both programs failed to meet those expectations. Notre Dame suffered too many injuries and lost close contests against top-10 programs on the road. Meanwhile, Ohio State never found its identity on offense and lost what became a fatal game for its playoff aspirations.
Both will meet in Arizona to put a bow on what was otherwise a disappointing 2015 season.
