- One day after a lopsided loss to top-ranked Southern California, Notre Dame accepted a bid to the Insight Bowl to be played December 28 in Tempe, Arizona.
The Fighting Irish, who were routed by the Trojans, 41-10, finished an up-and-down regular season 6-5 after losing their final two games.
Notre Dame will face a team from the Pac-10 Conference. The Fighting Irish have lost six straight bowl games since a 24-21 victory over Texas A&M in the 1993 Cotton Bowl.
Four other teams accepted bowl invitations Sunday as Minnesota (6-5) is headed to the Music City Bowl, UAB (7-4) the Hawaii Bowl, Southern Mississippi (6-4) the New Orleans Bowl and Memphis (8-3) the GMAC Bowl.
Minnesota, which will face a team from the Southeastern Conference in the December 31 game in Nashville, Tennessee, struggled down the stretch, losing five of its last six games after a 5-0 start. The Gophers will be appearing in a third straight bowl game for the first time in school history.
In 2002, the Golden Gophers defeated Arkansas, 29-14, in the Music City Bowl, then edged Oregon, 31-30, in last year's Sun Bowl.
UAB, which will play in Honolulu on December 24, has only fielded a team on the Division I-A level since 1991. The Blazers were bowl eligible on two previous occasions - 2000 and 2001.
Southern Miss will kick off the bowl season in New Orleans on December 14 against North Texas, the winner of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Golden Eagles, who conclude their regular season Saturday against California in a game postponed from September, will be making their seventh bowl appearance in eighth years.
Memphis, which will take on an opponent from the Mid-American Conference on December 22 in Mobile, Alabama, will be making consecutive bowl appearances for the first time.
======
The Cincinnati Bearcats were invited Sunday to play in the Fort Worth Bowl, a day after losing 70-7 to No. 7 Louisville.
The bowl, played on Dec. 23, is one of five affiliated with Conference USA. A Big 12 team normally would get the other invitation, but the bowl-eligible schools have locked up bids already.
Bowl officials are negotiating with the Atlantic Coast, Big East and Mid-American conferences for another opponent.
Cincinnati (6-5) rallied from a 2-4 start to earn its fourth bowl appearance in the last five seasons.
Quarterback Gino Guidugli broke his hand in the loss to Louisville and will not be available for the Bearcats.
======
Sun Belt Conference champion North Texas will face Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 14.
Southern Miss (6-4, 5-3 Conference USA) accepted an invitation to the game after becoming bowl eligible with a 26-21 win over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. The Golden Eagles will play in a bowl game for the seventh time in eight years. It will be the Golden Eagles' first trip to the New Orleans Bowl.
North Texas (7-4, 7-0) clinched its fourth consecutive Sun Belt title and its fourth trip to the New Orleans Bowl on Nov. 13 with a 51-29 win over Idaho.
``We're excited to have a regional team competing this year and it's expected to be a very good draw for Southern Miss fans,'' said New Orleans Bowl spokesman Sam Joffray.
=====
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Notre Dame accepted an invitation Sunday to play in the Insight Bowl in Phoenix against a Pac-10 team on Dec. 28.
The Irish (6-5) accepted the bid a day after losing to Southern California for a third straight season, this time 41-10.
``It makes the winter a lot easier if you finish on a high note as opposed to finishing on a losing note with that losing taste in your mouth,'' Coach Tyrone Willingham said. ``Even though our season should provide great motivation for us during the winter because it was a season we didn't reach our expectations, but you like to go in doing anything feeling good about what you're doing.''
The Insight Bowl has a $750,000 payout.
The opponent is supposed to be the fourth- or fifth-place Pac-10 team. Whether No. 4 California (4-1) earns a Bowl Championship Series berth will affect who the Irish play, as will USC's game against UCLA. The Irish could face Arizona State (8-2), UCLA (6-4) or Oregon State (6-5).
The Irish haven't won a bowl game since ending the 1993 season ranked No. 2 after beating No. 7 Texas 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl.
Since then the Irish have lost six straight postseason games.
``It would be a great way for these seniors to leave something very positive in this program,'' Willingham said. ``I believe it gives us that feeling, that sensation, that we still have some business to take care of.''
The Fighting Irish, who were routed by the Trojans, 41-10, finished an up-and-down regular season 6-5 after losing their final two games.
Notre Dame will face a team from the Pac-10 Conference. The Fighting Irish have lost six straight bowl games since a 24-21 victory over Texas A&M in the 1993 Cotton Bowl.
Four other teams accepted bowl invitations Sunday as Minnesota (6-5) is headed to the Music City Bowl, UAB (7-4) the Hawaii Bowl, Southern Mississippi (6-4) the New Orleans Bowl and Memphis (8-3) the GMAC Bowl.
Minnesota, which will face a team from the Southeastern Conference in the December 31 game in Nashville, Tennessee, struggled down the stretch, losing five of its last six games after a 5-0 start. The Gophers will be appearing in a third straight bowl game for the first time in school history.
In 2002, the Golden Gophers defeated Arkansas, 29-14, in the Music City Bowl, then edged Oregon, 31-30, in last year's Sun Bowl.
UAB, which will play in Honolulu on December 24, has only fielded a team on the Division I-A level since 1991. The Blazers were bowl eligible on two previous occasions - 2000 and 2001.
Southern Miss will kick off the bowl season in New Orleans on December 14 against North Texas, the winner of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Golden Eagles, who conclude their regular season Saturday against California in a game postponed from September, will be making their seventh bowl appearance in eighth years.
Memphis, which will take on an opponent from the Mid-American Conference on December 22 in Mobile, Alabama, will be making consecutive bowl appearances for the first time.
======
The Cincinnati Bearcats were invited Sunday to play in the Fort Worth Bowl, a day after losing 70-7 to No. 7 Louisville.
The bowl, played on Dec. 23, is one of five affiliated with Conference USA. A Big 12 team normally would get the other invitation, but the bowl-eligible schools have locked up bids already.
Bowl officials are negotiating with the Atlantic Coast, Big East and Mid-American conferences for another opponent.
Cincinnati (6-5) rallied from a 2-4 start to earn its fourth bowl appearance in the last five seasons.
Quarterback Gino Guidugli broke his hand in the loss to Louisville and will not be available for the Bearcats.
======
Sun Belt Conference champion North Texas will face Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 14.
Southern Miss (6-4, 5-3 Conference USA) accepted an invitation to the game after becoming bowl eligible with a 26-21 win over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. The Golden Eagles will play in a bowl game for the seventh time in eight years. It will be the Golden Eagles' first trip to the New Orleans Bowl.
North Texas (7-4, 7-0) clinched its fourth consecutive Sun Belt title and its fourth trip to the New Orleans Bowl on Nov. 13 with a 51-29 win over Idaho.
``We're excited to have a regional team competing this year and it's expected to be a very good draw for Southern Miss fans,'' said New Orleans Bowl spokesman Sam Joffray.
=====
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Notre Dame accepted an invitation Sunday to play in the Insight Bowl in Phoenix against a Pac-10 team on Dec. 28.
The Irish (6-5) accepted the bid a day after losing to Southern California for a third straight season, this time 41-10.
``It makes the winter a lot easier if you finish on a high note as opposed to finishing on a losing note with that losing taste in your mouth,'' Coach Tyrone Willingham said. ``Even though our season should provide great motivation for us during the winter because it was a season we didn't reach our expectations, but you like to go in doing anything feeling good about what you're doing.''
The Insight Bowl has a $750,000 payout.
The opponent is supposed to be the fourth- or fifth-place Pac-10 team. Whether No. 4 California (4-1) earns a Bowl Championship Series berth will affect who the Irish play, as will USC's game against UCLA. The Irish could face Arizona State (8-2), UCLA (6-4) or Oregon State (6-5).
The Irish haven't won a bowl game since ending the 1993 season ranked No. 2 after beating No. 7 Texas 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl.
Since then the Irish have lost six straight postseason games.
``It would be a great way for these seniors to leave something very positive in this program,'' Willingham said. ``I believe it gives us that feeling, that sensation, that we still have some business to take care of.''
