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Festive atmosphere Oregon State, Notre Dame meet in unexpected matchup
Updated: Saturday December 30, 2000 10:36 AM
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Oregon State capped its remarkable emergence from more than a quarter-century of football ineptitude by accepting an invitation to play Notre Dame in the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl. The Beavers were the top choice of the Fiesta Bowl selection committee because they were "a conference co-champion, a 10-win team and an incredible turnaround story that somewhat mirrors what Kansas State has done," Fiesta Bowl president John Junker said. "For us to come here from where we were three years go, to go 10-1, and being in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame is a great story," Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson said Sunday. As Oregon State's opponent, Virginia Tech had a higher ranking and better record, but the Fiesta could not resist the Irish (9-2) and their huge nationwide following, even though Notre Dame was ranked only 11th in the final Bowl Championship Series standings. Oregon State is sixth. It will be a matchup of teams that weren't even in the top 25 in the preseason. "I don't think any of us in our wildest imagination would have thought this would have been the matchup," Junker said. Notre Dame won its last seven games to become bowl eligible at 9-2. The Fiesta considered Miami but decided the Notre Dame-Oregon State matchup was more intriguing, and that the Hurricanes were a better fit against Florida in the Sugar Bowl. Fiesta Bowl officials maintained that comments last week by Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen had no impact on their decision. He suggested the conference should pull out of the BCS if Oregon State was left out of the Fiesta Bowl. "We selected Oregon State because they deserved it and won it on the field of battle," Junker said. The Fiesta Bowl normally gives an automatic berth to the Big 12 champion, but it had two at-large picks this year because Oklahoma will play Florida State for the national championship in the Orange Bowl. Oregon State set an NCAA record for futility with 28 consecutive losing seasons, a streak broken when the Beavers went 6-5 last year in Erickson's first season and lost to Hawaii in the Oahu Bowl. This year, Oregon State tied Washington and Oregon for the Pac-10 title, their first since 1964. That team, coached by Tommy Prothro, lost to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. A 35-year bowl drought followed. Notre Dame, by contrast, is a regular at major bowls. Its last appearance in one of the big-four bowls was in 1996, the Orange Bowl. But this Irish team was not expected to get this far, especially after a 2-2 start. There was widespread speculation then that coach Bob Davie would be out of a job when the season ended. Davie did not want to talk about vindication. "I think so much attention is always placed on the head coach, and I'm sure Dennis would agree with me. This isn't about us. This is about our football players and our assistant coaches who put so much into this. "That was a little bit overrated before the season and it's a little bit overrated now. This certainly isn't about me." Each team will receive $12 million to $13 million. Oregon State will split the money with the rest of the Pac-10, but Notre Dame, as an independent, keeps it all. No wonder Davie was so anxious as he watched the Oklahoma-Kansas State game, knowing that a K-State victory could have sent Notre Dame to a much lesser holiday payday. "It was brutal," he said. "As good as Oklahoma is, and as well coached as they are, I almost went crazy when it was fourth-and-1 and they were in that shotgun for that draw, but they know what they're doing. It was painful watching that game." Junker said Oregon State officials have promised 30,000 or more fans will come to the desert from the Northwest for the game. Add to that Notre Dame's unparalleled national following, and the Fiesta already has been declared a sellout. Each school will receive 15,000 tickets. Beaver players like the idea of playing Notre Dame. "I didn't like them growing up," running back Ken Simonton said. "I don't like 'America's teams.' I don't like everybody's favorite. I was always an underdog."
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