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Any game against Notre Dame is fun, because it's the fulfillment of what should be a natural regional rivalry between two traditional powerhouses and an annual event. Instead, it's a once-every-decade-or-so matchup that we only get if the bowl gods decide to smile on both the Buckeyes and the Domers, and as a result, it gets even more proportional hype than a similar game might get otherwise.
Also I should point out that Ohio State fans find Notre Dame an irritatingly perfect opponent for the exact same reasons that the rest of the nation finds the Buckeyes to be an irritatingly perfect opponent; inflated sense of self-importance, tendency to take themselves too seriously, etc. The main difference is that as of late, Ohio State has been backing up their swagger with extreme prejudice and Notre Dame kind of... hasn't. I mean, they have! But just in an incredibly boring, non-championship winning way.
So that's why we brought on legendary Ohio State historian Jack Park today to remind us why Notre Dame is that opponent lurking in the shadows that we should fear, and why, oh why, do we not schedule the Irish more often.
And Matt Finkes is back with Finkes On Football! We break down all things Fiesta Bowl (surprise, we're confident), and then you ask us weird and wonderful questions in Ask Us Anything! Let's do this!
Here’s how everything went down:
0:11- There's a lot to break down with regard to the Fiesta Bowl, and believe me, we absolutely get into it, but first there's this little matter of a basketball game against Kentucky...
23:47- Ask Us Anything wants to know the longevity of B1G coaches, and we gush about our mutual man-crushes on one Mark (Mike) Dantonio.
31:43- Finkes on Football is back, and Matt tells us how Ohio State might attack the Notre Dame defense, and how to shore up the Buckeye defense in the face of some significant losses.
42:39- Jack Park knows everything about Ohio State football, BUT doe he know seemingly every obscure fact from the first few times the Buckeyes played Notre Dame? Yes. Yes he does.
1:04:40- If Northwestern really is my spirit animal, however, the logical outcome of their bowl game is to show up late and then kind of half-ass a 6 point loss that looks good but really doesn't get anyone anywhere.
THE FIESTA BOWL COMETH. This one isn't for all the marbles, but man do I want it badly, if only to see Brian Kelly's big purple face explode in impotent rage. We'll be back next week to break it down.
