Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman addresses bowl projections that have Irish facing LSU
SOUTH BEND — The prospect of Notre Dame football matching up against LSU and former Irish coach Brian Kelly this bowl season is something his successor would welcome.
“I know there would be some storylines with Coach Kelly and the history of Notre Dame,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said Monday on a Zoom call with reporters. “It would probably get a lot of views.”
Most national projections have that showdown taking place in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Day in Tampa. Bowl Selection Sunday is set for Dec. 3, and both programs ended the regular season at 9-3 with victories over Thanksgiving weekend.
In the latest media and coaches polls, LSU is ranked 13th, three spots ahead of Notre Dame.
Kelly left Notre Dame two years ago this week for a 10-year, $95 million contract at LSU. In 12 seasons at Notre Dame, Kelly surpassed Knute Rockne for most coaching wins in program history and led the Irish to three unbeaten regular seasons, including a BCS Championship appearance in 2012 and College Football Playoff semifinal losses in 2018 and 2020.
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“We would look forward to any opponent we play,” Freeman said. “To play a great team like LSU, a great football program with the history that they have, obviously the history that Brian Kelly has with Notre Dame – what a great opportunity.”
Mississippi (10-2) and Tennessee (8-4) are other possible opponents out of the Southeastern Conference for Notre Dame should the bowl chips fall as expected. Barring a Georgia upset loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship, No. 5 Ohio State is projected to represent the Big Ten in the Orange Bowl.
Freeman is 1-1 as a head coach in bowl games, losing to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl after the 2021 season and outlasting South Carolina in the Gator Bowl last year.
“The bowl game is going to be about this football program, preparing over the next few weeks to play a tremendous opponent and the chance to go out there and compete and win,” Freeman said. “(That) is something that all competitors, especially the ones we have in this program, would look forward to.”
Notre Dame has won both bowl matchups against LSU over the past decade: a 31-21 win in the Music City Bowl (2014) and a 21-17 win in the Citrus Bowl (2017).
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for NDInsider.com and is on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Marcus Freeman on Notre Dame football ReliaQuest Bowl projection vs. LSU
